


Kairos

by snapchattingnct



Series: ad astra per aspera [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: A little slow burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Character Deaths, Minor Violence and Blood, markhyuck demigods, markhyuck greek mythology au, some family drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 71,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23077606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapchattingnct/pseuds/snapchattingnct
Summary: n. Greek. The perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement; also, weather.His timing was never right, always a little too soon or a little too late. But with Donghyuck, it was always perfect.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: ad astra per aspera [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728724
Comments: 39
Kudos: 239
Collections: 99' ft 00' fic fest





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> For prompt #FT054.
> 
> To the 99ft00 mods, thank you for all your hard work in order to make this fest possible. Without you guys, this story wouldn’t have even existed or came around to see the light of day. 
> 
> To the promoter, thank you for giving me an opportunity to create another Greek mythology markhyuck fic. Even though it was a long ass ride, through lots of sleepless nights and tears, I was able to create something I can only hope would do your prompt justice. I had so much fun writing markhyuck in this au.
> 
> To my beta, Isis, thank you for everything. For dealing with my extremely late night panic DMs about the fic or complaints about writers block. I am forever thankful to have crossed paths with you because you’re simply amazing in every way possible. Without you, all of my writing would probably be atrocious. 
> 
> To my dear sister, who screamed and cried with me about this au. I love you, thank you for being part of this journey too. 
> 
> This fic has been my baby since I was able to claim the prompt last September. I’ve loved and cared for it for so many months now and I’m so excited to share it with everyone. At one point, I honestly thought that I wouldn’t be able to finish it because I only had like 5K written and it was already the end of January/early February. I literally had an 'oh shit moment' when the submission emails came out and I was so far from being done. I had WIPS Olympics to thank because it gave me so much motivation to write it. This au was a bit of a challenge for me just because I had to do a little bit of world building and that’s something I haven’t done yet. The world that I managed to create for markhyuck is very heavily PJO inspired and I had a ton of fun with it, because PJO was my childhood. For all my PJO peeps, this one is kind of for you. 💚 
> 
> As much as I enjoyed writing this, I hope you enjoy reading it as well~

The tears burn and his chest burn just as much. 

The hollow feeling within his chest increased with each passing second and the tears continued to leave hot trails behind on his cheeks. His vision was blurred over until everything was nothing but hazy outlines. Unable to take it anymore, Mark gave out a shuddering breath and turned his emergency lights on, before pulling off to the side of the road. 

As he shifted the car into park, his hand immediately went up to his chest, clenching it tightly. 

It hurt so much. 

Leaning his head on the steering wheel of the car, Mark decided that he had held in the pain for long enough. It was time to let it all out. He couldn’t contain it any longer. And that’s what he did, he let all the pent up emotions that had accumulated in the past couple of days out. 

He cried until there weren’t any tears left to be shed and he screamed until his throat was scraped raw. He cursed every single god out there for what they have taken away from him; for taking away the only chance he had at happiness. They took away the one person that was his _everything_. 

Lucas had meant the entire world to him. 

Growing up, Lucas was the only person Mark knew and he was someone he was close with aside from his own mother. All of his childhood memories were filled with Lucas. Mark couldn’t think of a single moment in his life where Lucas wasn’t in the picture. Lucas was there when they first started school together. Lucas was there when he got kicked out of school when those freak accidents started to happen. Lucas was there when he found out that he was a demigod; half mortal, half god. 

Lucas was there with him every step of the way. And to think that he wasn’t going to be there by Mark’s side anymore, hurt. It hurt a lot. 

They were almost lovers, Mark would like to think. 

He wasn’t sure when his feelings for the taller boy became more than just platonic, but they did. It began with the fluttering butterflies in his stomach whenever Lucas would look his way. Then it became the desire to always be with him, no matter how long or where, Mark just wanted to be in his presence. 

They were each other’s equal halves. Lucas and Mark knew everything about each other like the back of their hands. 

So, it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair for the gods to take away his only chance at happiness before he even got a chance to try.

But then again, it was also his fault too. Mark could never muster up enough courage to confess. And whenever he did, the timing was never right. 

That was the other problem, timing. Oh, timing was such a _bitch_. 

By the time that Mark had realized his feelings and gathered the courage he needed, it was far too late. 

The day that Lucas and Jungwoo had come out to everyone that they were dating, Mark felt like a part of him was ripped away. But seeing how happy Lucas was with Jungwoo, he didn’t have the heart to be bitter or give Lucas the cold shoulder like he had wanted to. Just seeing how happy Lucas was with Jungwoo made him happy too, even if Mark had wished that he was the source of Lucas’s happiness instead. 

Now that he was gone, Mark didn’t know what happiness was anymore. 

.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, in his car, pulled over on the side of the road, crying his eyes out. Mark figured that it had been long enough because as he raised his head from the steering wheel, the sun had already began to settle in the horizon, the sky turning a dark purple. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, Mark tried his best to wipe away the remnants of his tears. Then taking a deep breath, he sat there for a moment to recollect himself before shifting the car back into drive and merging back onto the highway. 

Mark had always loved driving late at night, with his windows pulled down and his favorite songs softly playing in the background. Late night drives like these helped him clear his mind. Being alone like this gave him a sense of peace and the illusion that everything was alright in the world, even when it wasn’t. He made trips like these at least once a week because he needed it. His mental well being needed this.

With the wind ripping through his hair and the coldness of the night caressing his cheeks, a sudden realization passed through him. 

_Orpheus and Eurydice._

The idea had dawned on him so suddenly that he had almost slammed on the brakes, stopping the car right in the middle of the highway. 

Heart drumming in his chest and the blood pumping in his ears, a smile graced his lips. Letting out a chuckle in disbelief, Mark couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of this any sooner. He was so stupid. 

There was a way to get Lucas back. 

He could get Lucas back the same way that Orpheus had tried to do with Eurydice. Orpheus wasn’t successful, but Mark had the upper hand this time around because he knew what to do and how. 

Without a second thought, Mark changed the course of his car and took the next exit he saw. He couldn’t possibly go home right then, not when he found a solution to his current heartache. 

Feeling more energized than ever before, Mark took a familiar route through the outskirts of town, leading him deeper into the forest. If he remembered correctly, there was an entrance to the labyrinth that would lead him to one of the few doors that was opened to the Underworld. He had stumbled into it with another demigod once, when they were on their mission to the east to track down some hellhounds. Mark could only hope and pray that the entrance would still be there because the labyrinth was a living maze. This meant that it was constantly rebuilding itself and with that, entrances and exits could disappear in a matter of minutes. The last time he had tried to enter was years ago. 

But something deep within his gut told him that it was there, he just knew it. 

As the paved road turned into nothing but dirt and gravel, Mark figured that he would have to make the rest of the journey on foot. There was no way he could continue driving in his car based on how narrow the road had become as the forest got more and more dense. Pulling his car to a steady stop, he parked it in the shadows of the trees. 

Upon stepping out of the car, Mark realized how stupid he was in making such a rash decision to head straight here after the funeral. For one, he was not dressed appropriately at all to enter the labyrinth nor the Underworld on this journey to get Lucas back. A black suit was not definitely good battle gear. And speaking of battle gear, he had none, literally none. All of his stuff was back at camp.

“You’re so dumb, Mark fucking Lee…” he mumbled under his breath as he ran a tired hand down his face, slowly becoming more and more frustrated with himself. 

As he stood there in the middle of the open forest, he contemplated on his life decisions greatly. His solution was great, but his planning skills were _awful_. 

Running an annoyed hand through his hair, Mark let out another groan as he leaned against his car, trying to figure out yet another solution to his current predicament. “Think man, think.”

Then just as he was about to give up on the idea entirely, Mark suddenly remembered that he had some gear in his trunk. If he remembered correctly, after a surprise monster attack on campus, he and Lucas had thought of putting together a mini battle kit for the trunk of their cars. Mentally hitting himself for not thinking about it earlier, Mark popped the trunk open and hastily rummaged through it.

Shoving aside all of his messy books and extra hoodies, Mark dug his hands deep into the back, reaching for a box. With a tug, he pulled it out from under all the mess that he called his trunk. Spotting the mini sword that he had gotten in case of emergencies from Jaehyun, he smiled. Upon rummaging through the kit, Mark was pleasantly surprised to find that there were a lot of things in that tiny box. He managed to round up a pretty decent amount of stuff for his journey into the Underworld; some worn out armor, a camp t shirt, a pair of sweatpants, some healing potions, ambrosia, and a compass. There were a lot of other things that he could have really used but he’d just have to make do with what he found. It was a whole lot better than nothing anyways. 

Closing the trunk of his car, Mark geared himself up. Then locking his car, Mark stood there for a moment. His car looked completely out of place in the middle of the forest. He was far enough in that he was sure that no one would come around and slash his tires or break into his car, but it was better to be safe than sorry. So taking a step back, Mark mumbled a quick chant in latin requesting for the help of the nature nymphs to conceal it, to protect it while he was gone. Because he did not spend his entire summer saving on a car just for it to be destroyed while he was away.

He watched as the nature nymphs came out from their hiding spots, greeting him as they appeared. 

“Please watch over my car for me. I’ll be back for it.” Mark requested, clasping his hands together in front of him in a pleading manner. 

“Do not fret. We will keep your belongings safe for you, Young Lord.” One nature nymph answered, a soft smile on her face. “Rest assured that it will still be here when you return from your journey.” 

“Thank you.” 

Giving them one last glance, he waved them goodbye before trailing deeper into the forest.

If his memory served him right, the labyrinth’s entrance was just south of the trail, hidden behind a set of stone boulders. He watched as the pointer on the compass spun around rapidly before it found its desired direction, pointing him to the right. Following its direction, Mark continued on. 

It didn’t take long before the familiar clearing came into view, the set of boulders appearing right before him. Seeing that the compass had done its job, Mark pocketed the item. Then walking towards the boulders, he placed his palm on its cold, hard surface. Putting strength into it, he tried to push it open but it was to no avail, the boulder stayed put. As he stepped back and surveyed the area, he noticed something engraved on the side of the boulder. Dusting it off, he found that it was a faintly glowing delta symbol. Trusting his instincts, he pressed his fingers against it. 

With a hissing sound, the delta fully activated, glowing a brillant blue as the boulder slid open. Waving his hands in front of him, trying to clear all the dust and cobwebs, Mark took one last glance at the world around him before he dived into the darkness. 

.

Mark wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he felt like he’s been walking for years. With little to no light in the corridors, he had some difficulty maneuvering around the labyrinth. The more he continued on, the harder it was getting to distinguish between what was reality and what wasn’t. The labyrinth wasn’t a place for people like him. The labyrinth was a place for the darkest of monsters and secrets. Demigods hardly entered places like this because often times it ruined their sense of reality and it made them delusional. 

Although he felt the beginning of his sense of reality began to slip from him, Mark chanted a short spell underneath his breath. As the last words of the spell left his lips, he waited for his mind to clear and return back to normal. In seconds, the cloudiness that had made his mind muddy and distorted instantly cleared.

Glancing down at the spinning compass in his hand again, he watched as the needle spun around once more before redirecting itself to the left, its golden needle reflecting in the darkness. Following its direction, Mark headed down the left corridor. When he headed down the corridor though, Mark felt a cold chill run down the back of his spine, goosebumps flaring up on his arms. 

And then he heard a voice.

Stopping abruptly, Mark reached for the handle of his sword.

For however long he had been walking, he hadn't encountered a single soul, dead or alive. Nor had he heard anything from a monster or other rogue travelers. 

Mark honestly wasn’t expecting to encounter anything down there. 

Hands gripping his sword tightly, Mark began inching his way towards the edge of the corridors, placing his back against the cold, stone walls. As he did so, more voices began to reach his ears, sending his heart into a frenzy in his chest. Staying hidden within the shadows, he strained his ears to listen to what they were saying. 

“How dare you look at us directly in the eye, _Lost Soul_?”

“Well, you asked to see my face, how else am I supposed to let you see my face without looking at you in the eye?”

“Spunky are you now? Low class souls like you deserve to be punished for talking back and disrespecting us like this.” 

The lighting within the labyrinth was almost nonexistent but Mark caught sight of the gleam of a sword being unsheathed from its case as the sickening sound of metal scraping against metal reached his ear. 

Acting without much thought, Mark pushed himself off from behind the wall he was hiding from. Then calling out to them, he commanded, his words echoing as he spoke. “Put down your sword.” 

The talking ceased instantly at sound his command causing the whole corridor to become eerily silent. But as fast as the talking stopped though, it resumed just as fast. “Who are you?”

“Put down your sword,” Mark said, repeating himself, his tone filled with authority. 

“ _Who_ are you to tell us what to do?” 

His heart was pounding in his chest as blood pumping loudly in his ear. Mark could feel himself slowly becoming more agitated as they refused to abide by his commands. Walking closer to where they were, he caught sight of the boy that they were threatening. His footsteps faltered for a second when he made eye contact with the boy because by the hands of Aphrodite, the boy was _beautiful_.

Even though it was dark in the labyrinth, the boy was practically radiating and basked in a golden hue. It was like the boy embodied the sun itself, shining so brightly. His skin must have been kissed by the sun because it was warm and tan. Even with a sword pointed at his throat, his eyes shone with the intensity of a million burning stars. His lips were plush and plump even as he pressed them together in a thin line. 

Noticing this, Mark shook his head, trying to pull himself out of his starstruck moment. 

Quick to recollect his composure, Mark moved his eyes away from the boy and back to the attackers. He took into account their attire, obsidian black garments with gold detailing, realizing that they were part of the Hades’s royal army. Mark let out a sigh. He felt a little better now as he realized who he had sent his commands towards. 

With confidence surging through his veins, Mark straightened his back as his grip on his sword tightened. Then stepping out of the shadows, making himself visible, Mark said, “It matters not who I am. What matters is that you need to lower your swords, _now._ ” 

As he revealed himself to them, a collective gasp reached his ears. 

The guards drop to their knees at the sight of him, their heads bowed low, and their swords clashing to the ground. They shook with fear and he watched as one of the guards tried to say something but he ended up clamping his mouth shut instead, which was a smart move. 

Seeing that he had finally gotten their full attention, Mark stepped closer to them. Then using the tip of his sword to lift one of the guard’s chin up, he said, “I don’t think that your King would appreciate to know what you’re doing here, guard.”

“We were just…”

Mark shook his head causing the guard to shut his mouth instantly, fear clouding in his eyes. “There is no justification for what you have done here. I know for a fact that within the oath that you took to become the Kings’ guards, it clearly mentions no direct contact with anyone, from souls to people, unless otherwise ordered by the King himself.”

Head lowering even further, the guard pleaded for his mercy and apologized profusely. 

Seeing as though they know not to cause anymore trouble around here, Mark lowered his sword from their throats. The moment he sheathed his sword back into its holder, the guards bow to him again, before scrambling away to their original posts. 

Once they were out of sight, Mark sighed deeply. He had barely begun his journey and it was already troublesome. He could only imagine how much worse it was going to get from here.

For a second, Mark forgot that there was still another presence within the corridor, so when they called out for him, his hand went straight for his sword again. 

“Thank you…”

When he realized that it was just the soul that he had just saved from the guards, he removed his hand from the handle of his sword. Then shrugging he said, “It’s no big deal. I don’t like seeing people bully others anyways.” Staring back at the boy, once again being mesmerized by his beauty, Mark asked, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Mark watched as the soul struggled to get up and he immediately steps forward to help. Thankfully he did this because not more than a second later, the soul stumbled from the pain and nearly fell face first into the ground. Catching them with ease, Mark was surprised to feel how real and warm the soul was. Souls weren’t supposed to be able to touch living things as they are in a dimension where they’re partially dead. But as he held the soul in his arms, Mark marveled in the way he was able to hold onto them so tightly.

The other thing that took him by surprise is how _beautiful_ the boy was in his arms. Did he mention this already? Because he swore that he felt his heart skip a beat as he made direct eye contact with the boy. Feeling himself drown completely in those honey brown eyes, Mark was barely able to say anything. 

Once he realized that he’s been staring, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh, um that’s good. I’m Mark by the way.”

“Donghyuck,” the boy replied back. Then he grew a bit bashful as he looked down at the ground, “Thanks for saving me back there…”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” Mark reassured him. 

“You’re a demigod, aren’t you? What are you doing down here? You shouldn’t be here, it’s dangerous.”

Shrugging in a nonchalant manner, Mark sighed. “Yes, and I know but I have some business per say…”

“Here in the labyrinth? Leading to the Underworld? What kind of business could a demigod, like you, have here?” Donghyuck asked with wide eyes, disbelief lacing every word that left his mouth. 

No one dared to travel through this cursed place, so of course it didn’t make sense why Mark would have any business to deal with in such a place. 

“It’s kind of a long story,” Mark began, his tone growing sad. “But I’m here to get a friend back.”

“A friend?” Donghyuck’s brows furrowed in confusion at the boy’s words. “Most of us are just souls around here unless you’re looking for a monster that’s a friend.”

Mark shakes his head, a sliver of a smile on his lips. “No. I’m here to get a soul back.”

Donghyuck's mouth parted as he finally understood what’s going on. “Oh, like an Orpheus and Eurydice kind of thing.”

“Yeah…”

“Is this friend just a friend or are they a _friend_?”

“The second version but at the same time, not really.” Mark sighed. Shrugging his shoulders yet again, he added. “It’s complicated.”

“Completely understandable.” 

. 

Although Donghyuck was rather talkative, a lot more talkative than what Mark would have preferred, he was pretty good company. Donghyuck’s constant rambles and questions about the world above kept Mark on his toes. Donghyuck definitely made the journey a little less boring and a little more interesting, not that the journey was anything less than interesting. He was going to the Underworld to retrieve the soul of his best friend, who was also his crush, for crying out loud. That was definitely not anything remotely mundane. 

Halfway through another one of Donghyuck’s rambles, Mark got curious, so he asked without much thought, “How did you end up here?” The moment that his mind fully registered what he just said, Mark eyes widened as he hurriedly tried to redeem himself. “Ah, shit. Maybe that wasn’t the right question to ask… Sorry.”

To Mark’s surprise, Donghyuck simply let out a soft chuckle. Then with a wave of his hand, he said, “You’re good. I’m used to being asked that question anyways. Not really much of a taboo topic anymore.” 

“That’s good, I guess…,” Mark offered, a nervous laugh leaving his lips. 

“But I sold my soul to Charon.” 

Mouth falling agape as he stared back at Donghyuck in shock. His mind just about short circuited as Donghyuck’s words began to deep into his brain. Then as he fully comprehended his words, Mark shouted, “You _what_?”

Donghyuck was quick to shush him as he covered Mark’s open mouth with his hand. Voice dropped to a whisper, he hissed out, “Not so loud you big dumbass. You’re lucky you haven’t attracted any monsters yet with your demigod stench! So let’s keep it that way.” 

Lowering his volume down to match Donghyuck, he whispered fiercely, “Were _you_ out of your damn mind? Of all things you could have done, why the hell would you have sold your soul to Charon? That’s like top level stupid.” 

“Hey, I was an angsty, emo teenager when I did it. I wasn’t exactly in my best mind, okay?” 

“Like you aren’t a teenager still now,” Mark huffed out. 

“Well duh, I’m still a teenager. I died when I was nineteen. Souls don’t age. Our minds do though.” Donghyuck argued back as he crossed his arms, rolling his eyes as he did so. “But I made a deal with Charon to save someone and my naive nineteen year old self didn’t make him swear it on the River Styx so yeah…”

Shaking his head, Mark sighed. “That’s like a major rookie mistake. Always make them swear on the River Styx, especially when you’re dealing with powerful beings like that.” 

“Well, no one gave me a run down of how to be a demigod.” Donghyuck argued. “There weren’t any classes or camps you could go to like you guys have now a day.” 

“Who’s your godly parents then?”

With a smile appearing on his lips, Donghyuck tilted his head to the side. Then in a teasing tone, he said, “Oh, you couldn’t tell who my father is?”

Brows knitted together, confusion evident on his face, Mark shook his head no. “Should I?”

“Oh, come on, Mark. I know you have eyes, use them!” Donghyuck laughed, his melodic voice echoing in the corridors. “Like come, I can’t be that hard to figure out? No one has failed to guess who my father is without any help.”

All that Mark gave him in return was silence, his lips pressed together as he gazed back at him, staring at the boy before him. He thought hard and long about who Donghyuck’s father could have been but nothing really came to mind. 

Seeing his struggle, Donghyuck pouted. “What are the demigod classes teaching you kids these days? You can’t even judge who my godly parent is? That’s just down right sad and embarrassing.” Then giving Mark a rather unamused look, he said, “My dad is Apollo.” 

_Apollo,_ Mark thought. The longer he continued to stare at the beautiful boy before him, the more it made sense that Apollo was his father. For the god of sun and light, amongst other things, Donghyuck truly embodied all of those attributes. Donghyuck glowed brightly, honey brown eyes calling for his attention. Flecks of gold danced in them as they pulled him in. He looked soft and delicate like the sunlight that filtered through the clouds in the sky. But Mark knew that underneath all that honey skin and soft curls, Donghyuck was capable of burning things straight to the ground if he wanted to, like the fire that is the sun. 

Donghyuck was like the sun. He _was_ the sun. 

As all the pieces slowly began to click into place, Donghyuck couldn’t help but let out another chuckle. “Makes sense right, dumbass?”

“Yeah. Sorry, this labyrinth is starting to mess with my head.” 

“Speaking of which,” Donghyuck began to say as he picked up his pace urging for Mark to follow along. “We should hurry up and get out of this maze to the doors of the Underworld. It’s not wise to spend a lot of time in this place.” 

Silently agreeing with him, Mark picked up his pace so that he was in front. He was more than happy to get out of this place because the labyrinth really wasn’t a place to stick around in. He was also happy that Donghyuck hadn’t bothered to ask who his godly parent was either. Because in all honesty, it was not a topic that he liked to talk about. 

.

He had been taught about the labyrinth and he’s even done essays on it before, but none of that truly prepared him for his travels in it. It was mentioned in every textbook that he had read that the labyrinths were constantly changing, always evolving and growing. It was a piece of architecture that had a mind of its own. 

Just when he had gotten used to the stuffinees of the dark corridors, the maze did a complete three sixty and soon he found himself walking through a narrow sewer tunnel, only for it to turn into an abandoned basement of what seemed like a tattoo parlor a couple feet later. The pathway beneath their feet turned from cracked bricks to wet mud to hard cement. The change in scenery gave Mark a headache. Just when he was slowly getting used to the buzzing neon lights of the parlor, the next turn that they did led them back into the dark corridors again, much to his dismay. 

The bricks that lined the walls and floors seemed ancient. When Mark had begun to use the left wall as a guide through the maze, he felt how cracked and brittle the bricks were. It seemed like the entire corridor would collapse any second, which fueled his desire to move past this section of the labyrinth as quickly as possible. And it seemed like Donghyuck had thought the same too because each time that Mark would stall for a moment, deciding which direction he should go, searching blindingly in the dark for the connecting corridor, Donghyuck would always urge him to keep moving. 

Mark stumbled forward when he felt the left wall disappear from beneath his hand. When this happened, he immediately called out for Donghyuck, eyes searching for the lost soul. But it was pointless because everything around him was blanketed in pure darkness. He was sure that even if his pupil would dilate any further, he still wouldn’t be able to see a single thing.

After a few moments of blindly grasping and searching for the wall, Mark sighed. It was only then that he realized that he didn’t feel Donghyuck’s presence right behind him anymore. Spinning on his heels, he prayed that he was just being paranoid and that Donghyuck was still there.

Except he wasn’t. 

Calling out for the lost soul, Mark began to wave his hands around, hoping to magically catch a hold of the boy somehow. “Donghyuck?”

He waited for a reply, but none came. 

Fear clawing at his heart and his heart hammering within his chest, he called out for him again. “Donghyuck?” 

All that answered him was the sound of his shrill voice, echoing and disappearing into the dark, just as Donghyuck did. 

The blood pumping in his ears was so intense that Mark felt himself begin to get a little light-headed. The fear that was coursing through his body at that very second was a sensation that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Not since he was ten and he experienced his first monster attack. His hands clenched and unclenched themselves at his side, becoming clammier with each passing second. The back of his shirt was drenched in sweat as he continued to search for Donghyuck. 

He waved his hands out in front of him, hoping that his hands would magically come in contact with Donghyuck. But he touched nothing but air. Even when he moved back and forth, hands continuously searching for the boy, Mark was met with nothing. 

His voice was thick with fear as he called out into the empty void again, “Donghyuck?”

This time, the sound of footsteps hitting the brick floors reached his ears. Head snapping up in the direction that he heard it from, he opened his mouth to say something but someone else beated him to it.

“Looking for your _Lost Soul_ , young demigod?” 

The cold air that he felt against the nape of his neck sent a shiver down his spine, almost rooting him in place. But fighting against every instinct to run away as far as he could, Mark inhaled quietly before he turned around to face the newcomer. As he turned on his heels, Mark braced himself for whatever was about to come next. To his surprise, there wasn’t anyone or _anything_ behind him. 

For a second, the fear that had held him captive and unable to do anything dissipated as confusion took its place. And when he opened his mouth to question the voice that had called out to him, it beat him to it again. 

“I can see you, but you can’t see me.”

“Who are you?” Mark questioned, the fear now gone from his system. His hand immediately went for the sword at his side as he searched for the direction of the voice. He spun on his heels, eyes searching blindly for the voice. 

“You can hear me only because I speak back when I am spoken to.” 

Lips pressed together tightly, Mark couldn't help but begin to feel at a complete loss at what the voice was telling him. None of their words make any sense. Was any of this real? Was there even really anyone or anything talking to him? Or was it just a fragment of his imagination or from his paranoia talking to him? 

“I am speaking to you, aren’t I? So answer me, where is Donghyuck?” He called out. 

“You will only find your _Lost Soul_ after you figure out who or what I am.”

“How am I supposed to figure out who you are when you don’t show yourself?” 

“I can see you, but you can’t see me. You can hear me only because I speak back when I am spoken to.” 

Sighing loudly, Mark felt himself begin to get more agitated as the conversation progressed. Whoever or whatever that was talking to him kept on repeating the same words over and over again, like it was a mantra of some sort. Gripping his sword handle even tighter, he bit out, “Give me back Donghyuck, or else.”

“Rest assured, young demigod, your Lost Soul will see no harm, as long as you figure out my identity.” The voice answered back to him, their voice echoing as they spoke. “Now listen closely, this will be the only hint I will give you this time around. Next time, you are completely on your own.

_“I can see you, but you can’t see me. You can hear me only because I speak back when I am spoken to.”_

Mark wanted to groan out loud and pull out his hair as the voice repeated the same two sentences again. What was so important about those two sentences that the voice kept on saying it? Obviously, he couldn’t see it because for one, it was dark as Tartus in this portion of the labyrinth and two, it was hiding from his sight. Then what in the world did it mean that he could only hear it because it spoke back when it was spoken to? That made absolutely no sense to him. Absolutely none. 

Those two sentences swirled around in his head until the headache from earlier began to rise again. He thought long and hard about those words. Mark raked his brain for an answer. He thought back to all of his history classes on the labyrinth. But he couldn’t come up with anything, his mind drew a complete blank. 

Thinking back to the words that the voice had said, Mark began to mumble the two sentences under his breath, hoping that if he heard it, he would be able to figure it out. “I can see you, but you can’t see me. You can hear me only because I speak back when I am spoken to.” He repeated this over and over again, each time increasing in volume as he did so. As he did this the dead silence that surrounded him was wiped out as his voice echoed loudly back at him, mixing up his words into a jumble mess. 

Then it clicked.

_“I can see you, but you can’t see me. You can hear me only because I speak back when I am spoken to.”_

An echo. 

Heart beating feverishly as he came to this conclusion, Mark shouted out his answer into the dark, relishing in the way his words echoed back at him. With a smile he answered, “You’re an echo. That’s why you can see me but I can’t see you. You’re not tangible. And you only speak back when I speak because you repeat what I say.” 

He held his breath as he waited for the voice to speak up. He was nervous but Mark felt confident in his answer.

“Well done, young demigod. The answer to the riddle is an echo.” The voice replied. 

_Oh, so it was a riddle,_ Mark thought.

It made a lot more sense now that the lines that the voice kept on repeating to him were lines of a riddle that he needed to solve. At the mention of riddles, Mark finally made the connection that he wasn’t able to make before. The labyrinth was a maze with the purpose of confusing travelers to its death so that they can never find its center, where it was believed to hold a great treasure. Riddles were part of the maze, it was the key to crossing from one part of it to another. There were doorkeepers that you had to pass in order to continue on. It seemed like this was the first one that Mark had to encounter. 

“Since I’ve answered your riddle correctly, give me Donghyuck back and let us pass.” Mark said. 

“I’m afraid I can not let you go just yet. That’s just the first riddle that you have to solve. Young demigod, you should know by now that things are in twos around here. You can travel back or forward. You can travel left or right. Therefore, you must solve two riddles before I can let you pass with your Lost Soul.” 

“That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard of.” Mark huffed out, rolling his eyes in annoyance. 

“Answer this next one correctly, and I shall let you both pass.” 

“Swear it on the Styx River.” Mark quipped. He felt incredibly stupid that he didn’t make the voice promise this earlier. It was a rookie mistake that he did, one that he had even lectured Donghyuck on, only for him to not follow it himself. 

“Ah, I see you have learned from your mistake, young demigod. I swear it on the Styx River that I will let the two of you pass after you answer my next riddle correctly.” 

“Alright, what is the stupid riddle? Give it to me.” 

“You can’t see me or feel me. You can’t hear me or smell me. I can lie behind you or under your feet. I can be all around you or none at all. What am I?” 

This time around, the answer comes to him before the voice is even finished with telling him the riddle. Without missing a beat, Mark answered back, “The dark. Another intangible thing, that’s why I can’t see, feel, hear, or smell it. The dark can lie behind or under me as a shadow. And it can surround me just like right now. There’s nothing but darkness all around me.” 

“You are correct.” 

As soon as those words reached his ears, the darkness disappeared immediately as the lights of the corridor flickered on. He has been in the dark for so long that he was almost blinded when the lights turned on. Holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden change in light, Mark squinted at the man before him. 

The first thing he noticed was that the man before him had two faces, one protruding to the left and the right. And as Mark took notice of his position in front of two corridors, it registered to him that the man was none other than Janus, the god of doorways and passages. He was the keeper of the current corridors that they were traveling in. 

Mark was about to point this out when he felt someone tackle him, arms wrapping tightly around his figure, and efficiently knocking the breath out of him. When he had managed to stop Donghyuck from completely pancaking him to the ground, Mark looked up, eyes searching for the god, but he was already gone, as if he was never there in the first place. 

Donghyuck buried his face into his neck, his entire body shaking as he whispered, “You’re okay. You’re still here.”

Taken aback by the sudden affection, Mark could only stand there, frozen in place. 

“I was so scared, you have no idea.” Donghyuck mumbled, his arms tightening around Mark. “I wasn’t scared for me, I was scared for you.” 

Mark felt his heart crack just a little as he listened to the words that fell from Donghyuck’s lips. Unable to stop himself this time, he lifted his arms and pulled Donghyuck closer, returning the boy’s embrace. 

He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he still was when he pressed his hands against Donghyuck’s lower back and was met with something solid. For a soul, Mark had thought that he couldn’t hold Donghyuck the way that he was currently. Or for Donghyuck to be hugging him the way the boy was currently. He had figured that his hand would have passed right through him. Mark was glad that it wasn’t the case because the warmth that radiated from Donghyuck, the heat that seeped through his clothes from him, set his heart and mind at ease. 

“I’m already dead. I’m a lost soul. If anything happened to me, it wouldn’t have mattered. But if something were to happen to you…”

Trying his best to break the gloomy mood, Mark let out a small chuckle, ruffling Donghyuck’s hair as he did so. “I’m not that special either, Hyuck. If I die, then I die. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s a common occurrence with us demigods, I’m sure you know that.” 

“I know, but you can’t die yet. You have so much ahead of you.” Donghyuck argued, his voice overcoming with emotion. Pulling back from the embrace, Donghyuck stared at Mark directly in the eyes, his eyes shining. “You have so many things to be alive and to live for.” 

“Death doesn’t care about unfinished goals or future plans. He comes for you when he deems it fit, it doesn’t matter if your time isn’t up yet, he doesn’t care.” Mark told him, a feeble attempt in trying to lighten up the boy’s mood. But if anything, it made the whole situation worse because now, Donghyuck looked like he was on the verge of bawling his eyes out. 

As he was about to say something else to stop Donghyuck from crying, Donghyuck beat him to it. Shaking his head firmly, Donghyuck pulled Mark back into his arms, saying, “No. I refuse to let Death or anyone else take you away that easily. You will travel to the Underworld and get your friend’s soul back and live that life that you’re meant to live until the end of time. I lost my chance at living my dreams, I won’t allow them to take away your chance too.” 

Mark could only stare at the boy in his arms, lips slightly parted, his heart heavy. It seemed like there was much more to Donghyuck’s story than what the boy had chosen to tell him. He had figured that much since the beginning. It wasn’t as simple as Donghyuck had tried to brush it off as. 

.

Donghyuck wouldn’t let go of his hand ever since they had left the corridors that Janus had guarded. Each time that Mark began to walk too fast and their hands would slip from each other’s hold, the boy was quick to grasp on it even tighter. And when this had happened, Mark felt his heart skip a beat and butterflies fluttering in his stomach. It was a sensation that he hadn’t felt in such a long time, so he welcomed it, the corners of his lips curling upwards into a small smile. 

He didn’t mind that both of them were dripping in sweat from the humidity underground. Mark really didn’t mind that Donghyuck’s hand was clammy, making it hard to hold onto. Because he figured that his hand was just as bad, if not worse. It kept him focused, when he had to put in a little extra effort to maintain their intertwined hands. 

Unlike the first time that he had embarked on their journey through the labyrinth, Donghyuck was uncharacteristically quiet this time around. He hadn’t spoken a single word ever since they entered back into the labyrinth. 

Mark had sneaked some glances his way, feeling a little unnerved by the sudden lack of conversation and the silence. He tried to catch Donghyuck’s eyes at least once, to see what was going on in that pretty head of his. But each time that their eyes even came close to making contact, Donghyuck was rather quick in averting his gaze elsewhere. 

They’ve been walking for some time now. The brick walls that they’ve gotten accustomed to, materialized into black obsidian walls as they reached another split corridor. Even with the amount of times that he had experienced the changes of the maze’s structure, Mark still wasn’t prepared for it. They had entered into what seemed to be a small foyer, because in the center of the room was a foundation. 

As the warm, stuffy air that had enveloped them turned frigid, Mark knew that they were getting close to the entrance of the Underworld. 

He watched as the needle of the compass spin around wildly once, before it settled on the right corridor. Taking one glance at the directed corridor, Mark knew that once they entered the Underworld, there was going to be a whole another set of problems that they'll have to face. With how tired and drained he felt, Mark knew that if he didn’t get at least a couple hours of rest, there wasn’t any way he was going to be able to protect the two of them once they crossed until the Underworld. 

Sighing, he snapped the compass shut in his hand before turning around to face Donghyuck. “We should take a break and try to replenish our energy. There’s going to be a ton more obstacles that we’ll have to face once we cross. It’s not the best idea to rush head first into the Underworld with our current state.” 

Donghyuck nodded. “Yeah, it would be smart to get some rest before we move on any further.” 

Mark was quick to set up a makeshift bed with the spare blanket he had packed. Spreading it out on top of the cold tiled floors, he motioned for Donghyuck to sleep. “I’ll take the first watch. You can take the second watch.” 

“No, you rest first. You’ve done a lot today. More than me at least, anyways.” Donghyuck argued. Pushing Mark’s body towards the makeshift bed, he said, “You sleep. I’m a soul, I don’t really need to sleep. I’ll take the first watch.” 

Shaking his head, Mark grasped the boy’s wrist, pulling him down with him. “No, you rest, I’ll take first watch.” 

“Mark. Seriously, I’m okay. I’m not even tired. You on the other hand, I know you’re tired. So stop arguing with me and go to sleep.” 

“I’m telling you that I am fine—.” 

Before he could argue against him anymore, Donghyuck let out a loud groan before tackling him down. Mark was beyond shocked at what had just happened, so he took advantage of it and settled himself in Mark’s lap. Then he proceeded to bury his face into Mark’s chest, mumbling, “Fine. You can take the first watch.” 

As soon as those words left his mouth, it didn’t take the boy more than a minute before he was knocked out. Even when Donghyuck’s breath became steady, puffs of warm air hitting his collarbone, Mark still couldn’t relax. His entire body was tense and he could barely breathe. 

How could he when there was a pretty boy, sleeping against his chest? 

He would only hope that Donghyuck was deep in his sleep because if not, he was sure the boy could hear and feel the way his heart was ready to burst out from his chest. 

It took five minutes before his body would loosen up. Then it took him another five minutes to relax completely. Once he finally came around the initial shock and fully comprehended the situation at hand, Mark breathed out a long sigh before wrapping his arms around the sleeping boy in his lap. 

It hadn't been more than twelve hours since he met the boy in his arms, but Donghyuck had already managed to squeeze past the walls around his heart and made himself at home within it. Donghyuck honestly came to him like a whirlwind, fast and unexpected. He appeared in ways he least expected, but he was glad nevertheless for the appearance of Donghyuck on this journey. Mark wasn’t sure if he would have made it this far if he wasn’t lucky enough to have Donghyuck as a companion. 

He had heard of stories about how travelers that accidentally wandered into the labyrinth, both mortals and divine beings, never came back out as the same person. The labyrinth was a wicked and cursed place. It played plenty of tricks on the mind of those that entered its walls, dragging them into the darkest depths of insanity. No one ever came back out of it in their right minds. Especially not those that spent an extended amount of time stuck in it. 

The ones that ever survived and made it out alive with their insanity still intact were those that had the help of the Gods or those that traveled through labyrinth together in teams. But traveling as a team also had its setbacks, especially if the team was larger in size. He heard that those who tried to travel through the labyrinth with more than three people on their team, rarely came back out with the same starting number of people they came in with. 

Traveling alone wasn’t a good idea but traveling with more than three was a horrible idea. 

_But two was a good number,_ Mark thought. As he gazed down at the sleeping boy in his arm, he nodded to himself; two was a good number. Because good things come in pairs. 

Donghyuck was the sun, Mark was the moon. 

Donghyuck was light, he was darkness. 

Donghyuck was warm, he was cold. 

They fitted together like two missing halves. 

Donghyuck stirred in his arms as he tried to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. And that comfortable position seemed to be getting closer to Mark as much as possible. The boy continued to snuggle deeper into his chest as if he wanted to melt into him completely. Seeing his desire to take all of the warmth that Mark could give him, he tightened his arms around him. Then reaching up to thread his fingers through Donghyuck’s locks, Mark smiled at the way Donghyuck let out a content sigh at his touch. 

.

Mark’s arms were still wrapped securely around Donghyuck’s body when the boy finally woke up. With a yawn, he tried to stretch his body out but in the process of doing so, he smacked Mark hard in the face, earning him an annoyed groan. “Well, hello to you too.” 

Pulling his arms back into his lap, his lips parted in shock, Donghyuck sputtered out an apology. “Oh, my Gods. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you would be that close.”

“How could you not know?” Mark argued. “You’re the one that made yourself right at home in my lap before you went to sleep.”

“Well, I don’t know. I thought you would have shoved me off once I was asleep or something.”

“Even if I wanted to, you literally clung to me like your life depended on it.” 

“Actually, it kind of does.” Donghyuck began to point out. Twirling his thumbs together in his lap, he said, “Out of the two of us, you’re the only one that’s armed and ready to fight. And you know how to travel through the maze. You’re pretty much my only chance at going back home. Well, at least to where a lost soul like me can call home that is. Without you, I would have been long gone and dead. Like _actually_ dead.” 

Mark felt his heart tighten up in his chest, his throat running dry. It was almost hard to breathe as he looked at the way Donghyuck was attempting to hide himself from him as he said those words. Even though Donghyuck was right there in his arms, Mark felt like he was a thousand miles away. 

Clearing his throat, he took one of Donghyuck’s hands into his. Closing his hand around it, he whispered softly, “Hey. I’m not going anywhere without you, okay? We’re in this together.” 

“Can you promise that?” Donghyuck asked him, voice wavering, eyes searching for the validity in his words. 

“I promise. On the River Styx.”

Letting out a small, dry chuckle, Donghyuck said, “That’s pretty serious to be swearing on the River Styx for something as small as this.”

“Because I am serious. And this is a big deal.” Mark continued to argue. Grasping Donghyuck’s hands even tighter, he tried to catch his wandering eyes. When he was finally able to get Donghyuck to look at him in the eyes, Mark told him sincerely, “I’m not leaving anywhere without you, you hear me? There is a reason why our paths have crossed on this journey of mine. And I know for a fact that it is not a mistake. If anything, it is far from it. It’s fate. It’s a matter of fate that I met you.” 

“Aw, isn’t that cute? Aren’t they cute, Jeno?” A voice spoke out, ruining the moment that Mark was sharing with Donghyuck. 

They hadn’t been expecting anyone, so the sudden intrusion had caught them off guard. But Mark’s the first to recover though as he slid Donghyuck off his lap and behind him. Hand immediately reaching for his sword, he crouched in front of Donghyuck protectively. 

The pink haired boy that had spoken gave them a wide smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Shaking his head, he shared a knowing look with Jeno before saying, “Oh, no need to be so defensive. We’re demigods just like you two.” 

“Just because we’re the same doesn’t mean anything,” Mark bit out, his hold on his sword tightening. He knew better than to trust just any demigod that he crossed paths with. Demigods could be as bad as any monster he had fought, or sometimes even worse. 

“So hostile, Mark. Come on now, let’s be friends.” 

“No, thank you.” 

“Fine, how about this. Let me introduce myself first, then we’ll go about our friendship from there.” The boy suggested, the smile still on his lips. “I’m Jaemin and my mom is Aphrodite.” Then pointing at the dark haired boy beside him, he said, “And that’s Jeno. His mom is Athena.” 

Aphrodite and Athena, Mark mused. Jaemin did look like he was a child of the goddess of love and beauty. The boy looked like a complete angel with his pearly white smile and twinkling eyes. His cotton candy hair and long eyelashes were mesmerizing, definitely something that he had gotten from his godly mother. Jeno, who stood beside him, looked just as equally attractive. The pair of glasses that he had perched on his nose added to the cuteness that he held. Mark thought that he looked like a samoyed puppy as he stood there smiling, his eyes disappearing into half moon crescents.

The longer that he continued to stare back at the two smiling boys in front of him, the more loose his grip on his sword became. As if he had read Mark’s mind, Donghyuck pulled on the hem of his shirt gently. Words only audible to the two of him, Donghyuck mumbled out, “I think that if they were going to kill or attack us, they would have done that already.”

Nodding in agreement, Mark replied, “Yeah. I think so too. But what are they doing down here, though?”

“Oh, if you were wondering, Mother sent me here for a mini quest. Jeno just wanted to tag along with me.” Jaemin answered as he spared a loving look at his boyfriend. Twirling the golden arrow in his hand, he added, “Mother wanted me to quicken up the process that’s all. Since it wasn’t like I was doing anything, I figured why not?”

“Process. What process?” Mark asked, his lips settling into a firm line. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what was going to happen next. His stomach churned nervously as he went back to his sword, repositioning himself protectively in front of Donghyuck again. 

Waving his hand dismissively, Jaemin laughed. “It’s nothing serious. Just something my mother has been rather interested in, that’s all. Absolutely nothing to worry about. I promise.”

“What are you talking about?” 

“No, no. I ask the questions around here, Mark. Not the other way around, if you haven’t already noticed.” Jaemin told him. Throwing an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, he asked, eyes still twinkling with mirth, “Isn’t that right, Jeno, babe?”

Jeno nodded, “Yup. Nothing to worry about. Just some silly riddles for you to solve.” 

“Why do we need to solve your riddles? What is there in return for us?” This time it was Donghyuck who spoke out. He gripped onto the hem of Mark’s shirt even tighter before he straightened up, asking, “There must be a price that we must pay if we don’t answer the riddles correctly, no?”

“Ah, for a child of Apollo, you surely are a lot smarter than what they portray you to be, Donghyuck.” Jaemin pointed out. As he continued to twirl the golden arrow between his fingers, he began to walk closer to them, with Jeno following right behind him. “But yes, you are correct. If you answer my riddles correctly, Aphrodite will praise you well.”

“And if we don’t?”

Shaking his head, Jaemin let out a snort. Giving them a lopsided smile, he said, “Let’s not talk about that. It’ll ruin the mood.”

“Fine,” Mark huffed out as he released the hold he had on his sword. Running a tired hand through his hair in an annoyed manner, he crossed his arms. “Alright, what’s the stupid riddle? We have other places to be at than here solving your riddles.” 

“Alright, I’ll go easy on you since it’s the first question.” 

“Whatever.”

“What’s a ghost's favorite dessert?”

Mark nearly choked on his own spit as he listened to the riddle. This had to be a joke, Mark thought. Because there was no way that that was the riddle. Especially one from a goddess. It seemed like Donghyuck felt the same way before he gave Jaemin an odd look before mouthing, _‘What?’_ to him. 

Clearing his throat, Mark directed his attention back to the smiling pink haired boy. “Um, that was the riddle?”

“Yeah, now what’s your answer? What’s a ghost's favorite dessert?” 

Mark was extremely confused but he gave Jaemin an answer regardless, although a tad bit hesitant. “Uh, ice cream…?”

“Ding, ding!” Jaemin shouted, his energetic voice bouncing off of the walls. “We have a winner winner chicken dinner, folks! The answer was in fact ice cream. What’s a ghost favorite dessert? It’s ‘ _I scream’_. Get it?” It seemed like he had found the answer to the riddle very funny because after he said that, Jaemin was bending over and clutching his stomach from laughter. Jeno gave him a soft pat on the back as he too smiled along. 

During the time that it took for Jaemin to recover from his laughing fit, Donghyuck whispered, “You’re hearing and seeing what I’m seeing, right?”

Mark nodded. “Dude is on a whole nother level of crazy. Like mentally crazy.”

“But, honestly speaking,” Donghyuck began to say, a smile slipping into his words. “That riddle was kind of funny.”

“I mean, I guess…”

Wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, Jaemin gave a sniffle as he recomposed himself. Accepting the tissue that Jeno had magically gotten out of the thin air, he said. “Alright, on to the next one.” 

“It’s not something that can be bought, yet it can be stolen with a single glance. It’s something that is worthless to one, but priceless to two. What is it?” 

The wording of the riddle reminded Mark of the ones that Janus had asked. If he was assuming correctly, the riddle that Jaemin had just asked was referring to something that was intangible. But what can’t be bought but can be stolen with a single glance? That didn’t make any sense. If it was priceless to two but worthless to one, then it had to be something that could be shared. Mark had figured that much. 

It seemed like Donghyuck was just as puzzled as he was because the younger boy shared a look with him before giving him a shrug. As his eyes made contact with Donghyuck, though, his heart fluttered within his chest as the answer came to him. 

He felt the heat rise up to his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he mumbled out, “It’s love…”

Mark absolutely hated the way Jaemin’s eyes practically sparkled as he gave his answer. He did not like the mischief that was swirling around in his eyes at all. Nothing good was going to come with it, Mark knew that much. 

And he was correct because not a second later, Jaemin shouted out obnoxiously, a hand held to his ear, “What was that? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.” 

He knew for a fact that Jaemin had heard his answer but the boy was just egging him on, making him feel even more embarrassed than he already was. 

With a sigh and his cheeks burning even hotter, Mark repeated himself. “The answer to the riddle is love. Love is what can’t be bought but it can be stolen with a single glance. It’s worthless to one but priceless to two. With one, it’s just an unrequited love but with two, it’s something much greater.” 

“Man, you’re just on fire today, Mark Lee.” Jaemin laughed. “You are correct once again!” 

Beside him, he could feel Donghyuck’s eyes on him and it burned. He felt like his entire body was catching on fire and the longer that Donghyuck continued to stare, the hotter he felt. Pulling at the collar of his shirt, Mark tried his best to calm his racing heart. Not giving Donghyuck a single glance, he cleared his throat and averted his whole attention towards Jaemin and Jeno. “Is that it? Can we go now? We kind of have other places to be at too, you know?”

As he began to gather up all of their belongings, Jaemin grasped his wrist tightly, ceasing his movement. With wide eyes, Mark immediately tried to pull his hand out from Jaemin’s grasp but that simply urged the pink haired boy to hold on even tighter. Donghyuck was too stunned to be much of any help. 

His eyes flickered to Jeno, who was still standing in the same spot that he had last seen them. Jeno still had a smile on his lips as he gave Mark a small curt nod. Then looking at Jaemin, who was way too close for his liking, he gave up on trying to figure out how the boy had gotten over here so fast.

“Don’t pack up yet,” Jaemin laughed, his grip on Mark’s wrist still vice tight. “We’re not finished yet.” 

Sighing, he tossed his backpack back onto the ground. Then standing back up and yanking his wrist out of Jaemin’s hold, he groaned, “What more do you want from us? More riddles? Fine, give them to me. I’ll answer them.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you, Mark.” Jaemin quipped. “The next one that I’m going to ask is going to be nothing in comparison to the ones that you’ve solved.” 

“Then try me.” Mark huffed out. 

“Which one will you choose, Mark Lee?” 

“What?” 

_“Which one will you choose?”_

“What the hell are you talking about?” Mark exclaimed. None of the words that Jaemin was saying made any sense. He didn’t have a single clue of what the boy was asking from him. Choose what? What was there to choose? As he was about to voice this out loud, he found his words die in the back of his throat.

During the time that Mark was wasting thinking about what Jaemin was asking him, Jaemin had taken advantage of his confusion and drew his bow. Where Jaemin had gotten it, Mark wasn’t sure, because last time he checked, the boy only had one golden arrow in his hands. Now the boy had a quiver of him and the arrow in his bow poised and ready to shoot. 

Mark watched as Jaemin’s eyes stayed on him for a moment longer before they flickered over to where Donghyuck was, his bow following right along. He barely had any time to think when Jaemin shouted at him, a smile still ever presented on his lips, “Which one will you choose, Mark Lee?” 

Everything that happened next was all but a blur to him. 

His heart thudded in his chest as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Mark could hardly breathe when Jaemin shot his arrow, aiming towards Donghyuck. His body acted completely on his own as he pushed Donghyuck out of the way and replaced him in his spot. He distinctively remembered Donghyuck calling out his name but he wasn’t sure because his ears were ringing from the blood pumping in his ear as the arrow came soaring towards him.


	2. Two

One second he was standing in the cold, dark corridors of the labyrinth beside Donghyuck and the next second, he was laying on his back in the middle of a green meadow, alone, and staring at the shining stars above his head. 

He was confused to say the least. 

Mark laid there for a moment, trying his best to recollect his thoughts and figure out what had just happened. But his mind couldn’t draw up anything except a blank. 

So he laid there, his back against the wet grass and the wind caressing his face, contemplating his life decisions. For the first time since he had embarked on this journey, Mark was finally able to take a moment to rest and catch his breath. The longer he laid there, the more he thought. And he couldn’t help but realize that he was indeed really reckless to go on this journey to retrieve Lucas’s soul back. 

Oh, Lucas. Mark sighed as he thought about the older boy. He had been so caught up in the journey to him that Mark hadn’t really had the time to truly grief over his death. The ache that had once faded away started to find its way back. He clutched at his chest, gasping for air as it suddenly became hard to breathe. His throat began to clog up as well as he thought about his first love, who _had_ been his everything. 

But he would be thankful for all of eternity that Donghyuck had been by his side through it all thus far. 

_Donghyuck._

His eyes snapped wide open as he shot up from his spot, searching around crazily for the sun-kissed boy but he was nowhere to be found. The pounding of heart that he had managed to calm earlier came back, thumping almost twice as hard. As he pushed him off the damp ground, Mark found it incredibly difficult to breath. Licking his dry, chapped lips, he croaked out, “Donghyuck?”

He kept his ears open, trying to pick up a reply but none came. Nothing but the cold winds answered his call. Stumbling forward, he pushed the tall grass out of his way as he cried out for him again. “Donghyuck? Where are you?” 

Mark wanted to punch himself for not thinking about the boy earlier and to search for him since the beginning. He was so focused and deep in his thoughts about Lucas that he had almost forgotten about Donghyuck. Running a stressed hand through his hair, he looked around to see if any of his belongings had come with him but as he expected, he was there empty handed. 

Letting a frustrated groan slip past his lips, Mark cupped his hand around his mouth, “Donghyuck?”

Same as before, he didn’t get a response back in return. Mark felt helpless as he continued to wander aimlessly through the tall grass. He had called out for Donghyuck until his voice became hoarse. When he didn’t get a response back after the twentieth time, Mark fell back against the damp grass in despair. Tossing an arm tiredly over his eyes, he tried his best to stay calm but that was much easier said than done. 

“Donghyuck… where are you?” He whispered, his words barely audible even to his own ears. The second that they left his lips, the winds were already there to carry it away. 

“Mark?” 

He thought that he had misheard it at first, because there was no way it was who he thought it was. No, because they were dead. But when they called out to him for a second, he knew that he had heard it correctly. 

Shooting straight up, he turned his head left and right, searching for him. 

“Mark, is that you?” 

Through a shuddering breath, Mark asked, “Lucas?” 

“Oh, goodness. It is you!” 

Mark watched with wide eyes as Lucas smiled so brightly at him before running towards him. He barely had time to prepare himself before Lucas tackled him into a tight hug, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs. 

Lucas was practically smuggling him to death as the taller boy continued to hug him even tighter if that was even possible. After Lucas had deemed that he had smothered Mark in enough love and affection, he released him from the hug. 

“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for so long, man!” Lucas laughed, his dimples appearing. 

“Everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” Mark replied. But as his mind fully proceeded Lucas’s words, he couldn’t help but feel shocked. Words falling from his lips in a jumbled mess, he asked, “Wait. You’ve been waiting for me?” 

“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you. What else would I be doing?” 

Shaking his head, Mark stuttered out, “I don’t know… but definitely not waiting for me…” 

“What are you talking about? Of course, I would wait for you! You’re my best friend, stupid. We do everything together.” 

“Not everything,” he mumbled back, voice growing quiet. 

“Well, starting from now, it can be everything.” Lucas promised, his eyes filled with sincerity. 

“I don’t understand…” 

“What I mean is that, I like you too, Mark.” 

As those words reached his ears, he felt the whole world around him freeze. Even his heart stopped beating as Lucas spoke the three words he’d been waiting his entire life to hear. He had always imagined what their confession would be like, but none of the scenarios he had played in his head matched up to this. Not one bit. 

For one, he had always figured that he would be the one to confess first, not Lucas. Definitely not Lucas, because Lucas was absolutely and completely in love with someone else entirely. And that person was Jungwoo. 

Secondly, this time around, his feelings weren’t the same. They weren’t as intense as he thought they were. He had been blinded with the idea of love; love for a boy who he could never have. The more that Mark thought about it, he started to believe that maybe, there’s a reason why the timing was never right for the two of them. Also, maybe it was better that the timing of things never worked out for them because they just weren’t meant for each other the way he had once thought they were. 

As he stood there in Lucas’s arms, staring back at those brown eyes of his, Mark didn’t feel much as he thought he would. He didn’t feel the warmth that Lucas used to radiate whenever he was around. He didn’t feel the butterflies within his stomach when he would look into Lucas’s eyes. His heart didn’t race any faster and his mind didn’t turn to complete mush at the closeness that they currently shared. 

All that he felt was a dull ache for the man he once loved, or thought he loved. 

When he continued to stare back at Lucas, keeping silent and not muttering a single word, the twinkle within Lucas’s eyes faltered. The taller boy gave him a nervous smile as his hands quickly found purchased with Mark. “Mark, did you hear me? I said I liked you. Aren’t you going to say anything back?” 

“I, um…” Mark began, his mind still overwhelmed with the sudden realization that he just came to. When Lucas began to grip onto his hands a little too tightly for comfort, Mark wiggled them out of his grasp. And he surely didn’t miss the disappointment that graced Lucas’s features after he did that. 

“Mark?” Lucas whispered, his tone growing worried. 

“I really appreciate your kind words, Lucas. But you said you _liked_ me right? As in past tense.” 

“What?” Lucas asked, super confused at first. Then as he caught onto Mark’s implication, he began to shake his head and waving his hands dismissively in front of him. “No, no. You got it all wrong. I still like you. I like you, Mark. A lot.” 

“Are you sure that it’s me who got it wrong or is it _you_ who got it wrong?” Mark countered. 

“What are you trying to say, Mark?” 

“I don’t think that you really like me, Lucas. Maybe you did, but that was in the past. You don’t like me. You like Jungwoo. No, you love him.” 

“Don’t you like me, though?” 

“Yeah, I did, once. Not anymore. At least not in the sense that you’re talking about. I will always like you Lucas, you’re my best friend, how could I not?” 

“Well, then what difference is there in you liking me as your best friend versus you liking me as your lover?” Lucas questioned him, brows knitting together. 

“It’s a huge difference, Lucas.” Mark replied. “It’s the reason we only stayed best friends in the first place. It’s why we never moved onto anything greater than that.”

Lucas reached out for his hands again, gripping them tightly. “We can be what you wanted us to be, now.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Why not? That’s the reason you’re here isn’t it?” Lucas asked with wide, hopeful eyes. With the corners of his lips curling upwards into a smile, he said with the utmost certainty in his voice. “It’s the reason why you even began on this journey. You’re here to ask for my soul back, so that I can spend the rest of time with you, by your side, as your lover.” 

Mark shook his head, because Lucas was wrong. That wasn’t the reason why he was here, standing in the middle of a barren meadow, talking face to face with Lucas about the feelings he once had for the taller boy. 

“No. You’re wrong, Lucas.” Mark began, his heart clenching in his chest as he spoke those words. He released a shuddering sigh as he tried his best to not fall apart completely in front of the boy he once loved. “You’re wrong. I’m not standing here because I want to get you back.”

“But isn’t that the reason why you entered the labyrinth in search of the entrance to the Underworld so that you can retrieve my soul?”

He couldn’t help but let out another sigh. Withdrawing his hands from Lucas’s grasp, he took a step backwards in an attempt to create some distance between the two of them. While his feelings weren’t as strong as they used to be for the boy before him, Mark knew that he still had some feelings for him regardless. And the longer that he allowed Lucas to make him feel that kind of way, it was making it harder for him to think, to keep himself in control. 

“Yes, I did enter into the labyrinth with the hope of finding the entrance to the Underworld so that I can retrieve your soul back so that we can be together like we should have been…” 

“Then what’s stopping you now?” 

Shaking his head, Mark said pointedly, “You didn’t let me finish, Lucas.” 

“And? It doesn’t matter because I already know the story and the answer.”

“No, you’re wrong yet again.” Mark argued. “You don’t know anything, Lucas. You barely even know half the story.”

“Then tell me.” Lucas pleaded. 

“You were correct in the reason why I had entered into the labyrinth. But you’re wrong about why I’m here, right now, standing in front of you.” 

“How?”

“The reason that I am standing in front of you right now is not because I successfully navigated my way to your soul. No, the reason that I am here is because I took an arrow for Donghyuck.” Mark explained. Near the end of his sentence, his words faded out as he said them and his heart ached all that much more at the mention of the sun kissed boy. 

“Who’s Donghyuck…?” Lucas had asked, confusion maring his beautiful features once again. 

Donghyuck, Mark thought with a smile. A boy who he had unexpectedly crossed paths with. A boy who shook his entire world off its axis. A boy who made his heart beat and yearn for ways that he didn’t think was possible. A boy who had become his _everything._

He hadn’t said a single word since Lucas had asked the question but it seemed like he knew anyways, because the smile dropped from his face and his eyes lost their shine. Words barely above a whisper, he said, “So, I’ve been replaced.”

“No!” Mark exclaimed loudly, his shout echoing into the dark of the night. Shaking his head, he repeated himself, “No. Of course not, Lucas. No one can ever possibly replace you. You’re my best friend. You always will be. You’re my first love. You always will be. I will be forever thankful that you were my first love, even if it was unrequited.” 

“Is that all I will ever be? Just a first love? Just something that almost happened, but didn’t?” Lucas whispered, his every word laced with hurt. 

“You will always have a special place in my heart, Lucas. You just don’t have my whole heart anymore like you used to.” Mark explained, tears growing in his eyes. Shakily, he added, “You really can’t expect me to still hand over my heart to you completely as if nothing ever happened. Because things did happen, Lucas. A lot of things. And you’re to blame too...”

“Me? How? What have I ever done for you to no longer love me like you once did, to no longer want to give your whole heart to me anyway?” 

Laughing through tears, Mark shook his head sadly. “Seriously? Shouldn’t you know the answer to that?”

“What, that I asked Jungwoo to be my boyfriend and dated him instead of you?”

Mark really hadn’t truly come to terms with that fact yet, so it hurt like _hell_ when Lucas spoke of it. The truth had always hurt, didn’t it? Even though he knew it was the truth, he didn’t soften the blow any better. 

Because, this time around, Lucas was correct. 

He had sought after his best friend, his life long crush for the longest of time. He had loved Lucas with every single fiber of his being. He loved Lucas for all of his greatness and all of his flaws. Mark had loved Lucas in every way possible. And he wasn’t exactly subtle about it either. Mark was subtle about a lot of things, but he was never subtle about his love for Lucas. Everyone knew that. He was sure that even Lucas knew that himself. Yet, the older boy still went on and shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces without a second thought. 

Lucas hadn’t bothered to make his confession to Jungwoo a secret because he proclaimed the love that he had for him in front of everyone at camp during dinner. 

Mark had gotten used to how close the two had gotten in the past couple of years but nothing prepared him for what he was about to witness. Absolutely nothing had prepared him for the heartbreak that would follow thereafter. 

Shaking out of his reverie, Mark said, “Yes, but that wasn’t the only reason why.”

“What other reason is there?”

“I met someone else far much better than I would ever thought I would find. Someone that can give me everything that I need, wholeheartedly in ways that you never could.” 

“You don’t know that, Mark. You don’t know that at all.” 

“No, I know. I think you know that too, Lucas. That’s why you’re afraid.”

“I’m not afraid of any _Lost Soul_ taking away what is mine.” Lucas hissed. 

“Hey, don’t call him that.” Mark felt all the pain he was feeling melt away almost instantly as Lucas called Donghyuck in such a degrading manner. The heartache he felt was replaced by burning anger. His fists began to ball up at his side as he bit the insides of his cheek, trying his best to keep himself composed. 

“That thing can never love you in ways that I can, Mark. He’s just a dead boy without a soul, remember that. He can never care for you in ways that I can. He can’t do anything without your help. You’re the only reason that he’s not banished into the deepest part of Tartus. You and I both know that.” 

“You don’t know anything about him, so don’t talk about him like you do.” Mark fired back, growing heated with each word that sprouted from Lucas mouth. 

“Oh, trust me. I do. I know him better than you ever will. You want to know why?” Lucas asked him hotly, eyes blazing hot. “We’re both _dead._ ”

“That doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“But it does, Mark.” Lucas explained to him. “You’re going to Hades Palace, and you’re going to ask for my soul back. And you’re going to get it, because you know why? It’s because _I_ still have a soul.”

“How do you know that I’m going to ask for your soul?”

“I know you will, Mark. It’s all part of the plan.”

“Well, the plan has changed. And I’m not asking for your soul anymore.”

“What?”

“I said that I’m not asking for your soul anymore.” 

“I don’t understand…” Lucas whispered. 

It was at this very moment that he felt the ground beneath his feet began to tremble and rumble before large cracks broke the grassy fields. The air smelt of unearthed dirt and the scent of fresh grass. The cracks that appeared slowly began to fill themselves with molten lava, heating up the entire area rapidly. 

Mark had been so shocked that he had moved an inch since all of this had occurred. It was only when Lucas stumbled right into his arms as a result of a new crack forming at their feet that he came back to his senses. Not thinking about it much more, he gripped onto the older boy’s arm and started running. 

He wasn’t all too sure about where exactly he was running to but he still ran. The only thing on his mind was that he needed to get them out of his place, wherever it may be. 

He covers his mouth with his arm as the smoke began to billow up from the cracks, making the air unbreathable as it painted the entire area in black. His eyes burned from the smoke and the ashes that fell down from the dark skies as everything caught fire around them. 

Lucas struggled to keep up with his pace, his coughs growing with each second. Seeing this, Mark pulled his arm away from his mouth and moved to cover Lucas’s instead. 

“How do we get out of this place?” Mark coughed out, his lungs burned from the carbon dioxide that was filling them. 

“There’s a bridge at the corner of the island. It’ll lead us out of here.” Lucas directed him, his finger pointing to the less cloudy horizon before them. 

“Did you say island?” Mark asked, confused. 

“Yes. You’re in the Asphodel Meadows of the Underworld. I thought you knew that.”

“Well, now I know I guess.”

At the mention of the meadows, Mark felt his breath get caught within his throat. And this time it wasn’t because of the smoke that was swirling all around them. Instead it was the grey, blurry outlines of people that had him breathless. 

Slowly one by one, the souls appeared out of thin air and began to make their way towards him. In a matter of seconds, the entire meadow was filled with dead souls. 

“We have to get out of here, now!” Lucas shouted, tugging roughly on his arm. “Once they increase in numbers, we won’t be able to do anything. Let’s go.”

“I thought the souls of Asphodel Meadows didn’t feel anything?” Mark questioned. 

“Well, not these souls, at least.”

Without another word, the two of them began sprinting towards the clearing, dodging and evading the hands that tried to stop them. His lungs continued to burn but he paid no mind to it. All that was on his mind at the moment was to get Lucas and himself out of this place as quick as possible. But that was a lot easier said than done. 

Every time that they had managed to escape the grasp of a soul, three more popped up, hand reaching greedily for them. The souls shouted and called out to him, begging to be released from this cursed place. The Asphodel Meadows wasn’t actually cursed at all, Mark knew that. But the souls that were stuck here thought differently. 

The Asphodel Meadows was where most of the dead ended up residing after their death. It was considered to be the place of neutrality. The souls that were stuck here were neither bad nor good. They didn’t do enough evil to be sent to be burned in the pits of Tartarus. But they weren’t heroic enough to be sent to the fields of Elysium. So, instead, they were stuck here, in the Asphodel Meadows living a dull, repetitive life. 

All of the souls that were sent here had to drink from the River Lethe, the memories of their life cleared completely. They were essentially reborn, new, knowing and remembering nothing. Since they didn’t know or remember anything, the souls were neutral in their feelings. They didn’t hold any hatred or love. It was because of this that this whole situation seemed bizarre to him. 

Souls in the Asphodel Meadows weren’t meant to be this violent. They were indifferent souls that didn’t hold much emotions, if any. 

They had only made it halfway to the edge of the island, when he heard a voice call out to him. At first, Mark had thought that it was simply the thoughts of all the souls around him. Unlike the aggressiveness of the souls yelling and screaming at him, the voice that Mark heard was much softer but equally desperate. 

He faltered in his footsteps as the voice called out to him again. This time around, it had called out to him by his name. _‘Mark…’_

As the echo of his name resonated within his mind, Mark stopped completely. Lucas had tugged at his relentlessly, yelling at him to keep moving before all the souls around them would trap them, but he paid no attention to it. 

Mark searched the burning meadows for the source of the voice that was calling out to him. He could barely see anything through the black smoke and fires. He held his arm against his mouth, covering them as he began to make his way back to the direction that he was running from. He simply shook Lucas’s hands off of him when the older boy tried to pull him back. 

_‘Mark, please, save me…’_

He whipped to the right, in the direction that he heard the voice come from. Without a second thought, Mark began sprinting. The smoke burned his eyes and lungs, and it was an incredibly dumb idea to run right towards the fire, but he had to. 

_‘Help me… please…’_

His heart clenched tightly at the call. Mark couldn’t help but feel like he had heard this voice from somewhere before. It sounded so _familiar._ And this all but fueled his desire to help them even more. He ran through the burning fire like a madman, pushing aside the burnt grass as he searched for the owner of the voice. Mark didn’t mind the pain that shot through his fingers as they came in contact with the fire because all that occupied his mind at the moment was saving the voice. 

He shoved and pushed against all the fallen bushes and trees with all his might. Beads of sweat slid down the side of his face and his shirt clung to his back like a second skin. His eyes watered and his breathing was labored as he tread deeper. 

_‘Mark…’_

This time around, instead of keeping silent, Mark answered back to the voice. Calling out for them, he asked, “Where are you? Tell me where you are. I’ll come to you.” He spun around once, hoping to catch a glimpse of the voice, but he saw nothing but the fires that were slowly enclosing in on him. 

As he was about to part his lips and call out for the voice again, it finally replied back, _‘Behind you… on the right…’_ The voice was weak, Mark would have missed the directions it gave him had he not been so focused on it. Although weak, the desperation within the voice increased by tenfold and it fueled Mark to tread deeper into the burning fires. 

His breath was caught in his throat, not by the smoke of the burning fires, but rather the appearance of the familiar tan skin of the boy before him. 

“Mark…”

“Donghyuck,” he gasped. 

Mark immediately dropped to the ground, hands running all over the boy, inspecting his body for any serious injuries. He held Donghyuck’s face within his palms, almost crying as he caught sight of the honey brown eyes that stared right back at him. Donghyuck was a little battered and bruised up, but for the most part, he was okay. 

Donghyuck parted his lips, trying to say something, but his entire body shook as he began to cough from all the burning fumes around them. Eyes widening, Mark hastily covered his nose and mouth with his arm as he helped him sit up. 

“Hey, it’ll be alright. I’m here. I got you.” It had taken some extra effort to get both of them back on their feet, but Mark managed it. He had supported most of Donghyuck’s weight as they slowly made their way out of the burning clearing. When he felt Donghyuck’s head fall onto his shoulder, he tried shaking the boy awake. “Hey, stay with me Donghyuck. Don’t fall asleep yet.” 

No matter how much he had called out to the boy, nothing was getting to him because Donghyuck passed out not more than a few steps later. It had taken him by surprise and Mark was barely able to hold onto him. Clutching him close to his chest, he immediately searched for a pulse. The adrenaline that was pumping through his body right at this point was unreal. His fingers shook as he held onto the boy. 

Mark nearly cried in joy when he felt a faint, yet steady pulse. Seeing as how the boy in his arms was still alive, he embraced him even tighter. With determination surging through his veins, coupled with the adrenaline rush that had yet to fade, Mark pushed forward. 

He had nearly made it out of the burning clearing when several voices called out to him. It sent chills down his spine when he heard them. 

During the time that it had taken him to find and rescue Donghyuck, the souls of the meadows had grown significantly and they had him completely surrounded. They hollered and screamed at him, begging for a release from this terrible dull life. They cursed him for letting them be put in an awful place like this and doing nothing to stop it. They cried out their misery to him, praying him to do something. 

But there wasn’t much that he could do though. Mark wanted to, but he couldn’t. 

Trying his best to ignore their growingly desperate calls out to him, Mark turned his attention to the other voice that had called out to him. 

It was Lucas. 

Mark wanted to mentally smack himself because in his search for Donghyuck, he had left the other boy behind. Leaving him to the mercy of the souls. 

“Mark, we have to leave!” Lucas shouted out to him, waving at him to hurry up. 

“I know! I’m coming. Give me a few more minutes, I’m going to have to carry Hyuck, he’s out.” He hollered back as he began to adjust Donghyuck into a more comfortable position for him to carry. 

Lucas's voice started to become clearer as the older boy came closer. He watched as the boy shook his head, a frown maring his face as he shouted again, “No. We have to leave now!”

Sighing in exasperation, Mark wanted to pull his hair out. This whole situation was stressing him the fuck out. He had a boy knocked out cold in his arms, a million angry souls wanting to eat him alive, and fires that were growing with every passing second. Voicing his frustration, Mark shouted, “Yes, Lucas! I fucking know that we have to leave. I’m coming. I just need to get Donghyuck.” 

“No, Mark, you don’t understand!” Lucas countered back, the frown on his lips deepening. With a shake of his head, he added angrily, “You don’t understand at all. You can’t leave this island with the both of us. It’s either me or him. Never both.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? There’s no way I’m leaving with only one of you.”

“The boat is only fit for two people. It won’t stay afloat with more than two.” 

“Okay, fine. Then you two leave. You can take Donghyuck and leave. I’ll find a way off this cursed island.” Mark replied as he began to shoulder Donghyuck off to him. But he stilled completely when Lucas shook his head, eyes blazing. 

“I don’t think you understand the situation at all, Mark Lee.” 

Mark felt a cold shiver run its course throughout his entire body as his full name fell from Lucas’s lips. He could count on his right hand the number of times that Lucas had ever addressed him by his full name like that. It wasn’t a lot. 

He felt his heart stutter in his chest, but this time it was for all the wrong reasons. The blood drained from his face as the next words that Lucas spoke reached his ears. 

“You’re the key to leaving this island. We can only leave if you’re with us. Without you, we’re trapped in this place forever. So, only one of us can leave with you. The boat that will carry you to safety is only meant for two people.”

“That’s the most stupid thing that I’ve ever heard. That’s some bullshit.” 

“But that’s the rules. And you know what happens when you don’t follow the rules right, Mark?”

He did. As a demigod, they always had to follow rules or laws. No matter what it was, whether it be a friendly duel in the gardens or a mission, it was in their best interest to follow the rules given to them. Nothing ever ended well when they broke them. It had cost them a life before. It was something that Mark could never forget because it was the one who broke the rules. 

“So, Mark, which one will you choose?”

His body froze, his breath stuck in his throat. 

No. That couldn’t have been it. This couldn’t have been it. There was no way. 

“ _Which one will you choose?”_

The question hung in the air, almost suffocating him as he tried to grasp for an answer. There was no way that he was going to be able to live with the fact that he left one of them behind. But he couldn’t leave with the both of them without breaking the rules. 

Lucas, the sole reason why he had even embarked on such a crazy and reckless adventure in the first place. He was determined to bring Lucas back so that he could find the happiness that he had lost when the older boy had died. Lucas had died far too soon for everything that he was going to do and be in life. Lucas had an entire life ahead of him. One unrequited love aside, Lucas was meant to live. 

But then, there was Donghyuck. 

Mark looked down at the sunkissed boy in his arms, unconsciously holding onto him even tighter. 

Donghyuck, a Lost Soul that he had crossed paths with by chance. Their meeting had been one that he was not expecting but it happened and Mark was glad that it did. Although they had just met, under rather unfavorable circumstances, Donghyuck had managed to weasel his way into Mark’s heart. The boy’s cheeky smiles and sparking eyes made him feel protective and responsible for his well being. Mark felt the need to give him back the life that he was supposed to have. 

Mark didn’t mean for their reunion to be like this, but that was the thing about fate, it had a mind of its own, no one could control it, not even the Gods themselves. 

As he continued to look down at Donghyuck, Mark had his answer. It was one that he knew that he would regret if things didn’t go well, but he had the answer to the riddle. And it seemed like Lucas knew it too because he stared at Mark with sad, damp eyes. With a small nod, Lucas spoke, his words so soft that Mark almost didn’t make out what he had said. 

“It’s never been me, Mark. You’re a fool to think that you loved me. What you thought we shared, wasn’t the kind of love you wanted. We loved each other, but not in that way. Not in the way you will and should love. Thank you for coming back for me, Mark. But it’s time for you to leave.” 

As the last word fell from his lips, Lucas gave him one last final smile before he gave himself away to the souls. Mark watched in horror as one by one the souls enveloped the older boy’s body, dragging him away. They climbed and tugged at Lucas until not a piece of him was visible. 

He had been so busy thinking about what the souls would do with Lucas that he forgot about his own battle with the souls around him. They tried and attempted to reach out to him, especially for the sleeping boy within his arms, but Mark was not having any of that. They had already taken one from him, he wasn’t going to let them take the only person that had kept him grounded throughout this whole experience. 

They screamed at him, and he screamed right back at them, tears streaming down his face. Hands pushed and shoved against each other trying to touch Donghyuck, but he batted them all away. Mark wasn’t going to let them get anywhere near Donghyuck, even if it meant over his dead body. 

Because Donghyuck was all he had left. 

. 

Mark woke up, his cheeks wet and gasping for air. The tears still burned his eyes, blurring his vision. His heart wasn’t doing any much better and it ached painfully in his chest. Dragging his sleeve across his eyes, rubbing away the tears angrily, he looked around at his surroundings. 

He had half expected to find himself laying in a burnt down clearing, but he wasn’t. He was back in the dark corridors of the labyrinth, the coldness sending chills down his back. A frown found its way onto his lips as he looked up at the concrete ceiling in confusion. As he stared at it a little longer though, a sudden thought ran through his mind. 

Donghyuck. 

Mark couldn’t believe his luck. How the hell does he lose a whole ass boy twice? 

He shot up from where he laid, eyes searching for the boy only to find himself staring right into those mesmerizing honey, brown eyes of his. They were gleaming with concern as they stared back into his. His breath hitched as Donghyuck’s warm breath fanned against his lips. They were so close that if he moved his head forward just a little, their lips would touch.

“You’re crying.” Donghyuck was the first to speak, his breath coming out in little puffs against his lips. It had sent his mind even further into overdrive. And his heart wasn’t faring any better. 

He tried to say something back but his mouth would not move. 

More like it couldn’t. 

“Took you long enough, Lover Boy!” Jaemin laughed out loud. His obnoxious laughter echoing annoying in the corridor. Shaking his head, he added with a sly smile, “I guess having two insanely cute boys to pick from takes a lot of time and thinking. I don’t blame you.”

Blinking owlishly at Jaemin’s words, Mark didn’t understand a single thing that the pink haired boy was saying. He looked over at Jeno for help, but the boy only gave him a sweet smile in response. It was only when he took another look around him that he noticed that among the boys, there was a whole ass picnic spread, full of fruits, sandwiches, and desserts. They were having a cute little picnic date while he lived through an entire nightmare, for a damn riddle. Mark was bitter to say the least. 

Flopping back down on the blanket that he was laying on, Mark threw a tired hand over his eyes as he sighed out loud. “You are despicable, Na Jaemin. Despicable, I tell you.” 

“Why thank you.” Jaemin chorused back to him, not feeling a tad bit offended by Mark’s words at all. “Mother compliments me all the time on it. It’s one of my best features, she says, aside from my ability to charm all the boys to the yard.” 

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment…”

If the boy heard him, he didn’t say anything. 

He couldn’t believe the trauma that Jaemin had put him through for a riddle. A fucking riddle. Why couldn’t have he given him a riddle in a candy land or something? The fucking Asphodel Meadows of all places. Then forcing him to choose between Lucas or Donghyuck. It was fucking ridiculous. Aprohodite definitely had way too much time on her hands to be spending around her son like this.

In the distance, he heard the thunder roll once, signalling the displeasure of her. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I still solved it.” Mark pointed out as he opened his eyes. 

“That you did! And I applaud you for it.” Jaemin sung, his eyes twinkling. Then with a wave of his hand, the feast that was once laid out before him vanished in the blink of an eye. Brushing off the non-existent dust from his pants, he stood up, Jeno following right behind him. “Well, then. I believe my work here is done. I’ll let you two continue on with this journey of yours. Wishing you the best of luck! We’ll be rooting for you.”

Then the two boys disappeared from plain sight, not leaving a single trace that they were ever there in the first place. 

Mark took a moment to recollect his thoughts before he said, “It seemed like you had a good time while I was gone. Did they feed you well?” Then letting out a bitter, soulless laugh, he added as an afterthought, “Well, I surely hope that they did at least that much after all the things that they had put me through.” 

He felt Donghyuck’s hands cover his own as the boy stared down at him, brown eyes making contact with his own. Donghyuck ran a fleeting finger underneath his eyes, wiping away the wet tears that he didn’t know were still there. In a soft voice, he whispered, “I’m sorry that you had to go through all that, Mark.” 

Shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, “It’s alright. Nothing that I couldn’t handle.” 

“I’m still sorry though. It really wasn’t necessary.” Donghyuck whispered back. 

“Wasn’t necessary but it happened anyways. It’s all in the past now, no need to fret your pretty mind over it.” Mark said, a small smile on his lips as he ruffled the boy’s hair. Then sitting back up, he began to gather up all of their belongings. Donghyuck had stayed quiet the entire time that he did this. It was only when he shouldered on his backpack and offered his hand out to the boy that Donghyuck decided to speak up. 

“Why did you choose me? Why not _him_?”

Mark thought about it for a moment. He knew why he had picked Donghyuck over Lucas, but he wasn’t sure if he had officially come to terms with it just quite yet. Which was why, he decided to play it safe, saying, “Why not?”

It seemed like his answer had satisfied Donghyuck enough because the younger boy slipped his hand into Mark’s waiting hand, holding onto it as he stood up. 

Exhaling deeply, Mark gave Donghyuck’s hand a small squeeze before he turned and faced the dark corridor that would lead them right into the Underworld. Straightening his back, Mark nodded to no one but himself, mentally preparing himself for the next set of obstacles that were going to come their way. 

“Alright, we still have some other business to take care of. Let’s go.” 

.

It had been a while since he had come back to the Underworld. So Mark wasn’t really sure what to expect. 

As they crossed over the threshold that separated the Underworld from the mortal world, the hard cement turned into soft dirt. The stuffiness that the labyrinth had possessed evaporated almost instantly. The new air that filled his lungs brought ease to his soul. And it seemed like Donghyuck had felt the same way because the younger boy mumbled out loud, “As much as it is nice to leave this place every once in a while, it’s still the only home that I know of. It feels good to be back.” 

Donghyuck looked so much better now too. He looked much more alive now that they were here, even if he was already dead. The grey overcast that he had on his face was lifted almost instantly. There was color to his cheeks and a subtle brightness in his eyes, that Mark didn’t see before. His honey brown eyes had always had a sparkle and warmth to them, but now that they were in the Underworld, Mark felt like he could see the whole entire universe in them. 

Donghyuck looked so _beautiful_ to him, right then, right at that particular moment. 

Before he could make an absolute fool out of himself, Mark tore his eyes away and cleared his throat awkwardly. Then tugging on Donghyuck’s hand, he said, “Come on. We still have a bit of traveling to do before we reach the Palace.”

“Do you even know the way to the Palace?” Donghyuck asked. “Because I’ve lived down here far much longer than you’ve been alive and even _I_ don’t know where the Palace is.” 

“Don’t worry. I know the way.” 

If Donghyuck had found it strange how he had spoken about the directions to the Palace with so much confidence and certainty, the boy didn’t say. And Mark was glad that he didn’t. He wasn’t quite ready to reveal that part of his life to Donghyuck just quite yet either. 

The Underworld for the most part had looked the same from what he remembered from the last time that he visited it. The air was frigid and it would send shivers down his spine whenever he would think about it too much. But it didn’t bother him as much as it would to others. Mark liked the coldness that the Underworld held. 

Mark loved the cold.

He prefered the cold any day over the sweltering hot summers that camp had year round. He felt more at home in the cold. It reminded him of his childhood in Canada. 

There were still guard posts at the river, guiding the souls to their destined afterlife. They still used the old fashioned boats to carry the souls downstream before their first check point, where they would be sorted out to either spend the rest of their lives in the burning pits of Tartarus, the dull life of the Asphodel Meadows, or the golden land of Elysium. Merely thinking about the Asphodel Meadows made Mark shudder. Even though it had only been an illusion in place for the riddle, that place was a lot more awful than what everyone else had tried to portray it as. He could only hope and pray that he wouldn’t suffer such a fate when his time arrived. 

  
The only changes that Mark noticed was that it seemed like technology had managed to weave its way down there too. The last time he was there, he remembered the guards carrying huge scrolls, with the names of all the souls that would cross. Now, each guard had a mini tablet and a scanner. Each time a soul would pass through security, they would step up to the guard and present them with what seemed to be a boarding pass. The guard would scan it and verify the information on the tablet before directing the soul to the correct boat. 

Sometimes the soul would move on with a fight or question, but other times, the soul would scream and shout at them. Some begged to be put into Elysium, they didn’t want to go to the dreaded Asphodel Meadows. Then some begged to be put into the Asphodel Meadows, they didn’t want to be casted away into the pits of Tartarus. Each time a soul put up some type of resistance, the guard was quick to call up backup and have them dragged away. 

Mark had found the whole ordeal strikingly familiar to those at the airport security gates. But he couldn’t tell for sure if something like that happened anymore because it had been a while since he’s been back to an airport too. He didn’t fly on planes that often anymore. Especially not after he found out he was a demigod. It was a dangerous and reckless idea to do so when there was a higher God up above that had the ability to strike down any plane in the sky with his lightning bolt. 

Shaking his head, Mark began to move, tugging Donghyuck along with him. They creeped as close to the guarding posts as best as they could without being seen. Crouching low behind a boulder, he asked, “You’ve lived down here longer than I’ve been alive. Do you know of any way to get around the soul’s check point?”

“Wait, you don’t have a plan either?” Donghyuck whispered back hotly, mouth agape. 

Mark shook his head. “No, not really. I mean I kind of have an idea but I don’t want to resort to it unless absolutely necessary.” 

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck threw an annoyed look in his direction. Then stating dryly, he said, “I think this is a very necessary time to use it, dumbass. Because I don’t have any other plans. You can’t get to the Palace without crossing the soul’s check point. I mean it exists for a few reasons I know. One, to sort out the dead. Two, to protect the King. Can’t have bad security when one of the big three lives here.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Mark mumbled. Sighing, he ran his free hand through his hair, successfully messing up in the process of doing so. “But one can be hopeful, right?”

“Hope doesn’t really exist in a place like this, Mark. Hope means nothing for the dead. Hope, dreams, goals, they disappear the moment that we take our breaths.”

It became unbearingly quiet after Donghyuck had spoken. Donghyuck had dropped the eye contact that they had shared for a brief moment, gaze pinned somewhere, anywhere else but on him. 

Donghyuck was so _real_ to him that Mark often forgot that the boy he was holding hands with was already dead. He’s been dead for a long time now. He was just a dead soul. 

But that was going to change. Mark was going to make sure of it, because Donghyuck deserved so much more. He deserved to live out the life that was so rudely ripped away from him. He deserved to experience all the wonderful things in life too. 

Running his thumb over Donghyuck’s knuckles, he called out to the boy softly, “Hey. Look at me, Donghyuck.”

The boy merely shook his head, turning even further away from Mark. Donghyuck had even tried to pull his hand out from Mark’s grasp but he wasn’t having any of that. 

He tugged on their clasped hand, trying to gain Donghyuck’s attention. Seeing that it was sufficient in getting the boy’s attention, Mark reached out to cup Donghyuck’s face in his hand. Leaning in so that they were not more than a breath apart, he whispered, “There’s still hope, Hyuck. Even if there’s none, I will create hope for you. Because in order for this to work, I’m going to need you to believe. To believe in me. To have faith in me. To have _trust_ in me. Can you do at least that for me?”

His honey, brown eyes were staring right back at Mark, piercing into the depths of his soul, searching for the _truth_ behind the promise that he had given. Not more than a moment ago, Donghyuck was shying away from his eyes. Now, he was gazing right into them. 

Mark had to force himself to remain calm as those eyes searched for an answer. He could only hope that Donghyuck would find the answers that he wanted soon. He didn’t think that his poor heart could last another second with the way Donghyuck’s eyes were pinning him down so intensely. He could hardly breathe and he was sure that his cheeks were dusted pink. 

After what seemed like eternity, Donghyuck seemed to have found what he was looking for because every so slowly, he nodded his head. “I trust you, Mark.” 

“Okay.” Mark breathed out, feeling as if a huge burden was lifted off his chest. 

.

He figured that it would be way too reckless for them to go straight through the security checkpoint. They’ve had more than enough encounters with dead souls, with the exception of Donghyuck, for their travel thus far. Mark would like to keep it that way because he still hadn’t recovered from that damn riddle the son of Aphrodite had put him through. 

Playing it safe, Mark decided that it would be in their best interest if they traveled along the perimeter of the gates until they reached the outskirts of the Palace. If he remembered correctly, there was a section that was left unguarded right behind the Isle of the Blessed. It was where the River Styx ended and the River Lethe began. If they could just make it there unnoticed, the Palace was in reaching distance and Mark knew of a secret way to enter into it. 

When Mark had given Donghyuck a mini run down of his plans, Donghyuck simply shook his head, laughing. “Honestly, I don’t even want to know how you know all of this. This is definitely forbidden knowledge that a measly demigod like you shouldn’t know. But if it gets us to the Palace in one piece, I’m not going to question it.” 

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Mark laughed along with him, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Because it’s a super, duper long story that I really don’t feel like telling.”

“Forever? Or just right now?” Donghyuck asked, his head tilting to the side.

“Just for right now.” Mark replied. Then giving his hand a gentle squeeze, he promised, “I’ll tell you about it another time. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“Then I’ll have high expectations for it. If it’s anything less than what I’ve imagined based on what you’ve been saying, then you’re going to pay.”

“Do you want me to swear on the River then?”

“Oh, I’m mean, but I’m not that heartless. I can’t have you swearing on the River on something as silly as this. I kind of want to keep you around even if your stories are crap.”

Mark couldn’t help but smile at the idea that Donghyuck wanted him. Even if Donghyuck had meant it in a platonic manner, it still made his heart swell with warmth. He felt incredibly loved right at that moment. He felt like he was wanted, he was needed. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. It felt nice. 

Surprisingly, traveling along the River Styx and avoiding the security checkpoint plus with the other dead souls was a lot easier than expected. They had kept as close to the rocky terrain as much as they could, using the River Styx to navigate them in the right direction. If Mark had remembered correctly and nothing had changed, it was practically a one shoot down stream to the Palace. 

The further they got away from the dead souls and the Asphodel Meadows, the better he began to feel. After a while, Mark had felt so at ease that he had almost forgotten that he was in the Underworld. Mark had Donghyuck to thank for that because the younger had kept him grounded since the very beginning of the journey. 

“You said that you’ve lived down here longer than I’ve been alive right?” Mark began to ask. “Has it changed at all? I know the Gods have started to incorporate more of the technological world into their own respective realms, but has anything else changed?” 

Donghyuck nodded. “Oh yeah, definitely. You know that the land of the Gods is only as powerful as the Western Civilization right?” 

“Yeah, Olympus grows and moves with wherever Western Civilization is.” 

“Correct. Since the Western Civilization has become more and more technologically advanced, it would only make sense that Olympus and all the realms of the Gods would follow suit. The moment the internet was invented, the Underworld got it, as well as the rest of the Greek world. Let me just say, Iris, saw a huge plummet in the number of people that used to call her out to be their messenger.” 

“Smartphones are great and all but I would totally send an Iris message any day over a text or DM.” Mark stated. When Donghyuck gave him an odd look, he shrugged his shoulders. “I think they’re pretty cool.” 

“What are you, a grandpa? Those things were such a pain in the ass to send. You needed a golden coin, water, and then something to reflect a rainbow. So complicated for a one minute message, that you hardly ever got to complete either! A huge rip off if you ask me.” Donghyuck huffed, his lips set into a pout, making him appear incredibly adorable. 

Mark felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. 

When Donghyuck’s pout morphed into a frown confusion, Mark realized that he had dazed out for way too long. But then ever so slowly, the frown turned upside down as Donghyuck giggled out loud. Mark had been caught red-handed for staring. 

The tips of his ears burned with such ferocity that he thought that they had somehow caught on fire. He wouldn’t be surprised either, since things like that were a normal occurrence in the Underworld. 

Turning on his heels hastily, Mark avoided the younger boy’s gaze at all cost. But it was an impossible feat because Donghyuck began to tease him ruthlessly. The boy flung himself on Mark, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. Then pinching his cheeks, Donghyuck stated, “You were staring weren’t you? You were _so_ starting, Mark.”

“No… I wasn’t.” Mark managed to mumble out, his ear burning even more. “I was just lost in thought.”

“Yeah, lost in the thought about how cute I was, right?” Donghyuck continued to egg on, his smile growing wider and wider with each passing second.

“No, I wasn’t.” _Yes, he was._

“Oh, come on. You can’t lie to me, Mark.” Throwing his head back in a fit of giggles, Donghyuck said, “You were definitely staring. It’s okay, man. Nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of. I know I’m eye-catching. So, I won’t blame you for staring.” 

Mark had tried his best to knock Donghyuck off of his shoulders but he simply held onto him even stronger. After a few futile attempts of getting Donghyuck off, Mark accepted defeat and sighed, letting him hang off of him like a koala. 

Shaking his head, Mark tried his best to calm down and willed his ears to stop blushing so hard. Once his heart had returned back to normal and he felt a lot less warmer than before, Mark decided that it was time for Donghyuck to get a taste of his own medicine. 

Without warning, Mark grasped onto Donghyuck’s thighs and hoisted him up so that he was fully on his back, piggyback style. As he suspected, Donghyuck hadn’t been expecting it at all judging from how he nearly choked Mark to death with how tightly he was clutching on. 

He felt a tiny pinch on his ear before Donghyuck exclaimed out, “Hey! A warning would be nice next time. I could have totally fallen right on my ass.” 

“You should heed your own preaching then, Donghyuck.” Mark replied back snarkily. “Because you were the one that attacked me first.” 

“I literally didn’t even do anything! And I’m tiny! I hardly weigh anything, you doofus. Like I could do any damage to you.”

“That is so not true. First of all, you totally went all koala mode on me, hanging off of me like I’m some tree or something. Second, tiny? I don’t know, Hyuck. I think you may have had one too many cupcakes back at Jaemin’s picnic spread.” 

“Are you trying to call me fat, Mark Lee? Because I think you are, and you do not call me fat.” 

Mark could feel him burning holes into the back of his head, but he ignored them. Readjusting Donghyuck slightly on his back, he made sure to overly exaggerate the motion by groaning out how heavy the boy was. This earned him another few inches but it was okay because it got Donghyuck to hold onto him even tighter, afraid that Mark would drop him. 

Of course, Donghyuck was as light as a feather. He was thankful that the two of them were practically identical in height so Mark didn’t have to worry about his legs dragging against the ground. So those two factors combined, Donghyuck was perfect for him to give a piggyback ride. 

He liked the feeling of Donghyuck pressed up against his back, the warmth making him feel all fuzzy on the inside. He liked the feeling of Donghyuck’s soft breathing against the nape of his neck, sending little shivers down his spine whenever his lips would accidentally brush against the skin there. He liked the way Donghyuck’s arms would wrap snugly around his neck, pulling even closer than they already were. 

With his cheeks hurting so much from how much he was smiling, Mark continued on with their journey, listening with a full heart to Donghyuck’s comforting rambles and stories. 

Donghyuck talked about everything and anything. He told him about his mini adventures in the Underworld. He told him how when he would get bored, he would sneak on some of the boats that carried souls to the gates. He would watch all the souls come and go, sometimes even striking conversations with them as he sat through the boat ride. He would discuss politics, theories, and dreams with all of them. Or at least ones that would respond to him anyways without screaming his ear off about how they didn’t want to die yet. 

He told him about how he had ended up in the labyrinth. It had been an accident. Donghyuck was poking around the borders of the Underworld when he accidentally found the entrance to the labyrinth. He fell into the cold corridors without a single clue of how he even got there. Donghyuck has spent weeks before he was able to find the exit. He talked about the monsters he saw, the hidden creatures in the dark, and the stunning rooms that he crossed. Despite what everyone had to say, apparently the labyrinth wasn’t all cloaked in darkness, Donghyuck told him. The lighted rooms were rare but not nonexistent. He said he had crossed a room that showed him the world above completely. He said that it had a glass ceiling, allowing him to see the blue skies. He had spent a great amount of time in that room because it had been so long since he saw the sunrise and the sunsets. It wasn’t until the world above rained for seven days straight, not a sliver of sunshine peeking through the grey clouds that he gave up and began to move again. 

Then he began to talk about the other things he did in the Underworld to keep himself entertained, only to stop abruptly mid-sentence, making Mark falter in his steps. Turning around to look at Donghyuck, he tightened his hold on his legs, asking, “Everything okay?” 

Donghyuck tucked his face into his shoulder, growing usually tense as he mumbled, “Sorry, I probably talked too much... I can be a little annoying sometimes…”

Mark immediately shook his head, quickly saying, “No. It’s fine. Tell me more.”

“Are you sure? I’ve been talking for like, the past hour…”

“No, seriously. I like it. Tell me more. I want to hear all of your stories.” He reassured the younger boy, urging him to continue on. 

“I mean if you say so,” Donghyuck giggled. 

He felt Donghyuck relax against his back again as he continued on with another story of his. The corners of his lips tilted upwards as he listened to Donghyuck’s excited rambles and light laughs, his heart swelling at the sound. 

.

Like in the labyrinth, it was impossible to tell time in the Underworld. It was relatively dark all the time, not a single ray of sunshine was visible in a place like this. It was a place that was constantly blanketed in darkness. Everything about it was dark, from the lack of light to the black mountain terrains to the realms’ decorations. Which made sense because it wouldn’t be called the Underworld otherwise. 

Even though their surroundings hadn’t changed that much from where they first started, Mark felt like they had traveled a significant distance for them to take their first break. Plus, Donghyuck had stopped telling his stories and was slowly dozing off. 

Pausing in his steps, Mark took a quick glance around him to make sure that this would be a reasonable spot to take a break. Seeing that there wasn't a single soul or monster in sight, Mark deemed it good enough. Then walking over to the clearing near the River Styx, he tried his best to lay Donghyuck down as gently as he could. But the moment he withdrew his hand from under his head, Donghyuck’s eyes napped right open, honey brown eyes staring straight back at him, catching his breath. 

They continued to stare at each other like that, both captivated and getting lost in each other’s eyes. A second seemed to last for eternity as they held each other’s gaze, neither one of them breathing. Mark felt like he was on cloud nine as he found himself drowning in those honey brown eyes that he had grown to love so much. It took almost all of his willpower to stop the foolish smile that was threatening to break out on his lips. 

Even though he didn’t want to, Mark was the first to break eye contact. He quickly occupied himself with digging through his backpack for the sleeping bag that he had bought, face burning as he did so. This would be the second time that Donghyuck had caught them staring. The only difference this time around was that Donghyuck was doing the same, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. But he was still embarrassed regardless. 

“I think that we’re about halfway there. Figured that it would be a good idea to take a break while we can.” He began, eyes still focused on the backpack in his hands. Mindlessly digging through it, he continued to say, “Since we don’t know for sure if that’s going to be the case for the rest of the way. It would be amazing if it was, but we wouldn’t know.” 

Taking the sleeping bag from Mark’s fumbling hands, Donghyuck said, “I’ll take first watch. You can rest.”

Eyes wide, Mark stuttered out, “Oh, no. It’s okay. I’m not really all that tired. You can rest first. You were falling asleep earlier anyways.” 

“No, I’ll take first watch, Mark. You need to rest.” Donghyuck argued as he tried to push him down onto the blanket. He was practically manhandling into the sleeping bag. He shook his head disapprovingly. “Don’t even try to argue that you don’t need it. The ‘nap’ that you had while you were knocked out during the illusion doesn’t count. Therefore, you’ve been awake for who knows how long. It’s time for you to sleep. Plus how are you going to protect me from anything when you’re about to pass out from exhaustion.”

“I’m not about to pass out from exhaustion…”

“Sure, you aren’t, Mark. Just sleep, I’ll keep watch.” 

Mark wanted to argue more with the boy but as Donghyuck’s fingers found its way into his hair, gently combing through them, lulling him to sleep, the words died in his throat. He didn’t think that he was that tired or even at all, but it didn’t seem to be the base. Because within a few minutes, he was knocked out, mind entering into a dream state. 

.

In his dreams, Mark found himself back in the gardens at the camp. He was laying out on the green grass, breathing in the salty summer air. Muffled laughter and voice buzzing with excitement reached his ears. It seemed like the Apollo cabin was hosting some kind of chariot race by the lake. The sun was shining on his skin, warming up his entire body. Mark hadn’t felt this calm in a long, long time. He couldn’t even remember a time where he felt at ease like this.

Tilting his head up, he relished in the feeling of the sun on his skin. But the actual sun was nothing in comparison to the boy beside him. Mark sneaked a glance at Donghyuck, smiling as he saw that the boy too had his eyes closed as the sun beamed down on him. The sun filtered all around him like a golden halo, kissing every inch of his glowing melanin skin and Mark couldn’t help himself, he became addicted. 

He had become addicted to the warmth that radiated from Donghyuck. It was a warmth that he couldn’t find anywhere else. Not with the summer sun, not with the burning fires. The warmth that Donghyuck held was an entirely different class of its own. 

Being in Donghyuck’s presence meant that the air was a little sweeter and easier to breathe. His presence soothed his heart like the cool waters from Poseidon’s seas on a hot summer’s day. 

“I know that I’m attractive, Mark. But you don’t have to stare that hard.” Donghyuck teased him, the corners of his lips curling up into a smile. Then peeking one eye open, he added, “It might last longer if you take a picture though.”

Mark blushed, his cheeks burning feverishly. 

He wasn’t someone that got shy or embarrassed all that easily. He was usually able to keep up his passive facade but around Donghyuck, he was nothing but a stuttering mess and blushing every ten seconds. It was ridiculous, honestly. Sometimes, Mark had wondered how Donghyuck wasn’t a child of Aphrodite, because the boy held all the attributes of the goddess of love and beauty. 

But being the child of Apollo fitted Donghyuck much more. 

Shaking his head, Mark laid back down on the grass. “You look like a wet mutt right now, why would I want to take a picture of that? Your hair is all messed up and your eyeliner is smeared.” 

“Wait, what? My eyeliner is smeared?” Donghyuck exclaimed out loud, sitting right up. He hastily began wiping away the black smudges from underneath his eyes. “Those Aphrodite kids are such liars! Waterproof eyeliner my ass.” 

Mark opened his eyes. He watched as Donghyuck continued to paw at his face with the hem of his shirt, exposing the skin underneath. He stared at the golden tan skin for a second before ripping his eyes away. Mark didn’t want to be caught staring like that again. 

Instead, he opted to help the younger boy out with his current makeup crisis. 

Tugging Donghyuck’s hands away from his face, Mark pulled him closer. Then with the gentlest of touches, Mark held Donghyuck’s face in his hands. With utmost care, Mark began to swipe away the black smudges from underneath his eyes.

As he did this, Mark felt like his entire body was on fire. The way Donghyuck’s honey, brown eyes followed his every move sent his heart into a frenzy. It had become harder to breathe with every passing second that Mark continued to hold onto his face. Not being able to handle it anymore, he quickly withdrew his hands, having them fall awkwardly into his lap. Avoiding the younger boy’s eyes at all cost, Mark directed his view out towards the lake, watching the way the wind caused ripples to appear across the surface.

The longer he continued to watch the ripples grow and expand out until they disappeared all together, the calmer he felt. His heart stopped drumming so fast and slowly went back to normal. But just when he felt like he was back in his right state of mind, Donghyuck spoke out to him softly, “You don’t have to be so afraid all the time you know? Especially when you’re with me, Mark.”

He parted his lips to say something but nothing came out at first. Not trusting himself to reply back so quickly, Mark licked his chapped lips, taking a moment to think about what to say. 

“You don’t have to hide yourself from me. Just be yourself. You can show me all your good sides and your equally bad sides. I won’t judge. Mark, you know I wouldn’t.”

“Of course, I know that.” Mark began to say, his words still stuck in the back of his throat. With the little courage that he had, he lifted his eyes up to meet Donghyuck. “It’s just so hard sometimes. Opening up, I mean.”

He fiddles with the stray threads at the hem of his shirt, eyes dropping down into his lap again. Mark felt so _vulnerable_ in that very moment. He felt so exposed to the sunshine boy. He had allowed Donghyuck in and showed him his deepest fear. Mark was supposed to be the stronger one out of the two of them. He was older, he needed to act like a role model for Donghyuck. He had to be someone that Donghyuck leaned on. He needed to stand firm and tall on his feet for Donghyuck.

But that was so hard to do when he, himself, needed someone to lean on too. 

Mark was so deep in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that Donghyuck had moved from his spot beside him. The whole world stopped, frozen in place, when he felt a pair of soft lips against his temple. They stayed there, in that very spot, for a couple of seconds, lingering, before it disappeared all together. 

He felt Donghyuck cover his hand with his own, holding onto them ever so tightly. Then he gave them a small squeeze, “I know you’re not used to letting other people in. You’re afraid that if you do, they’ll find all your flaws and leave you because of them. But, I’m not like them, Mark.” Donghyuck pushed his bangs out of his face, asking him to look up at him. And he did, although a bit hesitant. “I’m not like them. You know that. You’ll be safe with me, I promise. You can open up to me. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”

Letting out a bitter chuckle, Mark sighed. “I should be the one saying that to you, Donghyuck. You shouldn’t be the one trying to console and comfort me.”

“Why not? Everyone needs their pillar of support. As you are mine, I can be yours.” 

Despite all the crazy and negative emotions swirling inside of him, Mark can’t help but smile at Donghyuck’s words. Donghyuck had a special talent in never failing to make him smile even when he felt like absolute shit. A couple of sweet words from him and Mark feels a whole lot better. 

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Donghyuck smiled back at him as he gave his hand another tender squeeze. With their hands still interlocked, Donghyuck leaned back against the vibrant green, face tilting upwards. “No matter what, I will always be here for you, Mark. Forever and always. In this lifetime and the next one. For eternity.” 

Donghyuck was completely unreal. Someone like him couldn’t have existed in the world. He was so perfect that it hurt. Mark didn’t deserve someone like him in his life either, but fate decided to put Donghyuck in it anyways. And he was eternally grateful for it. 

Turning his eyes back to the rippling waters, Mark breathed out, “Me too.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but Donghyuck seemed to have heard it because Mark felt him squeeze his hand. A small flame was ignited in his chest at the gesture, warming up his entire body. With Donghyuck by his side, Mark felt content because everything was going to be alright. 

But that thought was shattered just as fast it appeared. 

The ground behind them shook angrily and thousands of piercing screams reached their ears. The happy chatters and light laughter around them ceased to exist. Mark is scrambling to his feet almost instantly, tugging Donghyuck behind him as he stood before him protectively. His free hand went for the sword at his side, only for him to grasp nothing but air. Eyes wide, Mark looked down at his hip and saw that his sword wasn’t there. 

He had left it back at the dorms. 

Of course the one time he decided to not bring his sword with him, it’s the one time that he needed it the most. Just his fucking luck. 

With nothing to protect himself or Donghyuck, Mark’s mind was running at a hundred miles per hour, trying to come up with a plan. He anxiously twirled his black ring around his finger as he clutched onto Donghyuck’s hands even tighter. “Stand behind me.”

“Do you have a plan?” Donghyuck questioned, his hand gripping tightly onto his back. 

No, he didn’t have a plan. But he wasn’t going to say that to the younger one. Instead, he opted for, “I’m working on one.” 

Donghyuck was about to retort back at him but at the very moment that he opened his mouth to do so, the ground before them cracked wide open and three dark figures shot out from it. Before his mind could process what they were, one of them flew right down to them, effectively breaking him and Donghyuck apart. 

Donghyuck screamed for him as he was tossed in the direction of the lake. The normally soft ground had been upturned over, creating jagged points and edges. He could feel his skin split as the rocks tore and scraped him up as he rolled across the ground. His mind barely registered the pain though, all that he could think about was how to save Donghyuck. 

Not wasting a single second, Mark jumped to his feet the moment that he could. His eyes searched blindly through all the debris for Donghyuck. His ears rang from the impact of his fall but he didn’t pay much attention. 

Through a small clearing of the dust, he finally spotted Donghyuck. The boy was on his knees, coughing heavily, and not noticing the way that one of the creatures was coming right for him. Cupping his hand around his mouth, Mark shouted, “Hyuck! Watch out!” 

But his voice wasn’t loud enough. His warning was swallowed by the sound of the ground cracking and splitting up. He could only watch in horror as the dark creature dive closer and closer to Donghyuck. 

Mark began to sprint towards him but he was stopped almost immediately as a shriveled face with burning amber eyes came into his line of vision. It bared its yellow fangs at him, long talons swiping at his body. 

He was barely able to dodge its claws, stumbling into the waters behind him as he did so. 

The creature hissed at him as it floated above his head, its leathery wings flapping up and down. It held a crackling whip in its hand, ready to slice him to shreds. “Mark Lee, your time is up, _sweetheart_.”

A shiver ran down his spine when his name fell from the creatures lips. And it was only then that he realized what they were. The terrifying creatures were _Furies._

They shouldn’t have been able to make it pass the camp’s borders. They shouldn’t be here. They belonged to the realm of the Underworld, never here. 

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Mark stated, eyes narrowing on the Fury before him. His fists were balled up tightly at his side, anger burning through his veins. “You have no business here.”

“But we do.” She hissed back at him, her fangs growing longer. She bared them at him, eyes glowing like charcoals in a fire. Snickering, she pointed behind her, stating, “And one of them is your little sunshine boy over there.”

“Don’t you dare touch him.” He growled out, one foot stepping forward. 

Before he could take another step, the Fury threw her head back, laughing. With a sinister smile on her lips, she shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you boy.”

“Why not?” 

The answer that he got in return was a heart wrenching scream from Donghyuck. Whipping his head so fast that he was sure that he cracked his neck, Mark saw the two other Furies attacking Donghyuck. They clawed at Donghyuck’s body, leaving trails of blood in their path. The hoodie that Donghyuck had on was ripped to shreds in the blink of an eye. 

“No! Stop it!” He yelled out but his words were deaf to their ears as they continued to attack Donghyuck mercilessly. Unable to stay still, Mark began to sprint towards him, but the Fury above his head stopped him yet again. 

“Oh, I don’t think so, boy. You have no business in stopping us, no matter who your godly father is.” 

“Anything regarding Donghyuck, is my fucking business.” He glared her down, voice cold as ice. He was so furious, his entire body was shaking. 

“If that’s the case, I’ll just have to stop you from ruining our fun then.” 

Then he was pushed right into the waters. 

The water rushed into his lungs at an alarming rate, choking him, making it hard for him to breathe. The salt water stung as it passed over his cuts and scrapes, numbing his body. The lake was usually calm and barely had any currents, but as the world around it shook, it created huge waves, effectively dunking him under. 

His vision clouded over as he tried to push against the waves, trying to grasp for the surface, yearning for air. His lungs burned as he swallowed some of the water. His hands moved through the water, grasping at nothing. He barely had enough strength to keep his head afloat. 

As the coldness from both the water and the sound of Donghyuck’s screams reached his ears, Mark realized something. 

He was dreaming. That’s right, he was dreaming.This was nothing but a dream. 

_‘Wake.’_

There was no way this was real because the last thing he remembered was that he was in the Underworld, heading to Hades’s Palace with Donghyuck before they took a break by the River Styx. 

This wasn’t real. 

Dreams of a demigod were never just purely dreams. They were a lot more. They were visions and messages called out to them in their sleep. Good dreams never existed for demigods. They may start out as a good dream but they always end in a nightmare. That’s why he never had a good night’s sleep, especially when he had a godly father like his. 

_‘Wake, young prince, wake.’_

And he did. 

But like in his dreams, there was water filling up in his lungs and Donghyuck’s muffled screams in the background. The only difference this time around is that the water isn’t icy, cold. No, they were burning hot as if he was thrown into a campfire instead of a river. It felt like his skin was slipping right off his body as the pain swallowed him whole. Every inch of him burned. The pain prinkled at him like a thousand needles. It was hurt like fucking hell. 

The water in his mouth tasted awful. It tasted like sulfur and acid. Mark tried to keep his mouth closed but it was to no avail, the water continued to surge in regardless. He pushed his arms against the water, trying to push himself up, to save Donghyuck but he only sunk deeper into the water. His head was fully submerged and he felt himself falling down to the very bottom of the river. 

His foot grazed against the hard ground as he reached the bottom. By this point the pain had enveloped his whole body to the point where he felt absolutely nothing at all. He was numb all over again. 

Mark felt his eyes closing on its own accord, sleep reaching out for him. As much as he wanted to succumb to the darkness, he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Donghyuck like that. He had to save the boy if it was the last thing he did. He had made this promise to himself ever since the illusion riddle. 

Filling his mind with thoughts of Donghyuck. An image of Donghyuck smiling down at him so brightly came before his eyes. In it, Donghyuck reached out and touched the sensitive spot right behind his ear, sending a jolt through him. The spot where Donghyuck had touched, suddenly burned, a golden glow emitting from it. The pain only lasted for a second before it went away completely. 

Eyes snapping open, Mark took a gulpful of the water, grimacing in disgust. Regardless, he spread his arms out before him, pushing himself off the bottom of the river. In a few strokes, his head broke the surface of the waters. With a strength that he didn’t know he had within him, he dug his hands into the shore and hauled himself up. 

Stalking towards the Furies that had dared touch Donghyuck in the way that he did, he sliced through all of them with his sword. As his sword cut through each of them, they vanished on the spot, leaving yellow dust in their tracks. The sulfuric stench reached his nose but he didn’t mind. It meant that they were dead, for now. 

Mark tossed his sword to the side and dropped to his knees right before Donghyuck. He reached out for him and pulled the trembling boy to his chest. The moment that he was tucked snugly into Mark’s chest, a cry escaped his lips as he clutched onto Mark just as tightly. 

Gentle fingers began to find its way into Donghyuck’s messy locks as he whispered, “It’s okay. I got you. You’re safe now.” 

And Donghyuck began to practically bawl his eyes out. 

It had taken Donghyuck quite a while before he had settled down and stopped crying. Once the boy’s crying had been reduced to quiet sniffles and hiccups, Mark slowly began to untangle himself from him. The second that Mark had removed his hands from Donghyuck’s body though, the said boy gripped onto him tighter than ever. “Don’t go,” he had pleaded, voice wavering as a new set of tears began to well up in his eyes. 

Lips pressed to his messy hair, Mark kissed the top of his head, “Hey. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just grabbing my bag. We need to clean up your wounds, Hyuck.”

Recutantly, Donghyuck began to loosen his death grip on the front of Mark’s shirt, allowing him to reach his backpack. As he did this, the boy in his lap spoke out to him, saying, “You know that my wounds will heal up perfectly fine in a couple of days right? I’m already dead so they’re not that big of a deal. Plus being in the Underworld speeds up the healing process.”

Mark nodded. “Yeah, I know but they still hurt, don’t they?”

At that, Donghyuck didn’t have anything to say. 

He began to pull out the mini first aid kit that he had thankfully remembered to pack while he had raided his trunk for the journey. Mark set it to the side before digging deeper in his backpack, he pulled out a blue hoodie back from the camp and handed it to Donghyuck. Donghyuck had accepted it with grabby hands, thankful to have something to clean to change into. 

With the injuries that Donghyuck had received from the Furies, he had a little bit of trouble pulling on the hoodie so Mark had to give him a helping hand. Once they managed to get it over his head, Donghyuck sighed out blissfully at the warmth and comfort that the hoodie gave him. Mark could only smile at the younger boy’s cute antics and the how the hoodie practically swallowed him whole. It was adorable. 

When Mark laid out his palm, a gentle gesture for Donghyuck’s hand, so that he could begin to clean up his wounds. Donghyuck tentatively laid his hand in Mark’s waiting hand, not before saying, “You really don’t need to…”

“Okay, yeah. You don’t need any first aid because it’ll heal on its own.” Mark nodded. But as he pulled out a decorated bandaid, he added, “Knowing you, though, you’ll want this teddy bear bandaid, right?”

Donghyuck could only blush in response because it was true. He was a complete sucker for cute things, Mark included. 

After Mark had bandaged Donghyuck all up and they began to make their way towards the Palace again. They managed to make it to the valley side in no time. With the current state that Donghyuck was in, he wasn’t really fitted to climb the mountain terrain. It seemed like Donghyuck knew this too because after scaling the terrain, he gave Mark a pained smile. 

Ruffling his hair affectionately, Mark smiled. “It’ll be alright, Hyuck.” 

“Yeah, easy for you to say. You’re in tip top shape to climb the fucking mountain.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s going to be a piece of cake for you.” 

Mark had to bite his lips to prevent himself from laughing out and embarrassing Donghyuck even more than he already was. “No one is forcing you to climb it, Hyuck.”

“Well, how else are we going to reach the top, Mark? Are we just going to fly up there?” The boy replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. 

Mark shook his head, a smile still on his lips. “No, we’re definitely not going to fly.”

“Then how else are we going to get up there?”

“Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride.” Mark said as he bent down in front of him. Motioning for Donghyuck to climb on, he added, “We’ve already done it once.”

He watched as Donghyuck stood there for a moment, staring down at him stunned and with parted lips. Donghyuck tried to move his mouth to say something but nothing but air came out. He could see the gears inside of Donghyuck’s head turn as the boy tried to gather his thoughts. Seeing his internal struggle, Mark decided to put him out of his misery by pulling him forward by his hand until he was against his back. Then without warning, Mark held onto his thighs and stood up with ease. 

Unlike the first time that Mark had tried to do this, Donghyuck immediately wrapped his arms around his neck, holding on tight. As he began to climb up the uneven terrain, the boy mumbled out, “This seems to be a regular occurance now. Sorry.”

Turning his head to the side so that he could get a glimpse of Donghyuck’s face, Mark said, “It’s okay. I don’t mind. So don’t be sorry.”

“If you say so.” Donghyuck whispered back to him as he settled his face into the nape of Mark’s neck, holding him even closer. “Thank you for everything, by the way. I’m not sure if I said that already or not.”

Mark simply held onto Donghyuck a little tighter. “Don’t worry. I got you.”

.

The last time that he remembered, the Cave of Hypnos was nowhere near the Palace. But as he climbed closer to the top, the ledge that dropped off from the mountain side, buzzing with dark energy, was unmistakable. And strangely enough, the God was awake.

Mark felt the cold seep into the very depth of his bones way before he even saw the God. He immediately set Donghyuck down on his feet and moved into a protective stance in front of the boy, guarding him with his body. 

He watched as the God of Sleep rose from out of his cave, standing to be thousands of feet tall, towering down upon the two of them. In a voice that made him shiver, Hypnos asked, “They felt different, didn’t they, Mark Lee?”

Mark was confused by the words of the God. What felt different? The only difference was that Hypnos cave had seemingly relocated itself from its original spot in the Underworld. But as the God’s words replayed itself over and over in his head, Mark realized that he was talking about the dreams that he had earlier, when the Furies had come and attacked them. 

Dreams were always a little weird and different for demigods because they always carried hidden messages or visions. 

“What do you mean?” He asked, brows furrowing together. 

“It felt real, didn't they?” Hypnos said. “They ended up saving you, right?”

Unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Mark felt a surge of anger course through his body, causing him to tighten his hold on Donghyuck’s wrist. “If anything, they almost killed us!” If he hadn’t realized that it was a dream, Mark wouldn’t have woken up at all and died in the River Styx. Donghyuck would have died too. 

“But it didn’t. If the Furies would have had their way with it, in the dream you wouldn’t have drowned at all. Rather you would have been chopped up into pieces and died without warning.” Hypnos stated, his dark eyes glaring down at him. The God made a move to step forward, his glare growing icier with every step that he took, causing Mark to take a step back, Donghyuck following right behind him. “No. Instead, _I_ changed the dream. _I_ stopped your death, and your Lost Soul’s death too. I made you drown in the dream so that you can _feel_ what you were experiencing in real life to wake up.” 

Mark tried to think back to the dreams that he had, trying to figure out what was so different about it. He had had dreams like that before, ones that started out as good dreams that slowly turned into nightmares. So it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, really. If that wasn’t different, then the content and the people within the dreams must have been different. The only people he could think about that were different were the Furies and Donghyuck, there wasn’t anyone else in the dreams that he hadn’t met before. Honestly, Donghyuck wasn’t even all that different because he knew the boy. 

The longer he thought about it, the less he understood and the more confused he got. Different? How was he supposed to know what was different about his dreams? He never dreamt about the same thing twice, wasn’t that different enough already? 

Closing his eyes, Mark tried to calm his mind down. Breathing out steadily, he thought back to his dreams. There was camp, him laying side by side with Donghyuck. They had talked and he had shared his insecurities with the sunshine boy. Then the ground erupted and the Furies came. The Furies had broken him and Donghyuck apart. He was drowning in the waters when a voice called out to him. 

Eyes snapping wide open, Mark stared right into the empty holes of where Hypnos’s eyes should have been. A voice had called out to him. A _voice_ had woken him up from the dreams and saved him. Lips parting in shock, he mumbled, “That was you?”

“Yes, it was I.” Hypnos sounded pleased that he was able to connect the dots. 

Even though he had figured out that the God had been the one of the many reasons why he was alive right now, Mark still didn’t understand why he had done it. The Gods hardly extended their help out to anyone. It was a rarity to receive aid from a God. 

“Why did you help?”

“Your time has not come yet. Neither is his.” Hypnos stated as he pointed to Donghyuck. “You still have a much longer journey ahead of you before you can achieve what you desire the most, young prince.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asked. Sighing exasperatedly, he bravely took a step forward, stepping closer to the God. “What more must I do? Why?”

As he began to edge closer to the God, Hypnos did the exact opposite. Hypnos began to retreat back into his cave with a yawn, never letting Mark close the distance that stretched between the two of them. Voice slowly fading out, Hypnos said, “Your journey has only begun. A much more difficult path lies ahead of you. May the King’s blessing be on your side this time as well.”

Before Mark could ask anymore questions or classifications, the air around them began to shift and the ground beneath them shook. Groaning out, he ran both of his hands through his hair. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” 

“Mark, what is happening?” Donghyuck’s voice shook as he clutched onto Mark’s arm to stay steady on his feet. 

“Nothing good, for sure.” Mark replied. 

It was at this very moment that the ground shook with a vengeance that knocked the two of them off their feet as it hole opened up right before them. The air that swirled around them tasted god awful and bitter, radiating evil powers as it wrapped around their throats, suffocating them. 

A new voice called out to them, sounding much darker than anything that Mark had heard before. The air around them began to pick up, until it whipped around them with such vigiousity that pulled them in the direction of the hole. 

As a particularly strong current hit him, Mark is left sprawling out on the mountainous terrain, hands grabbing blindly for a something, _anything,_ to hold onto. The sharp edges and rocks cut his hands but he doesn’t pay any attention to the pain. The only thought on his mind is to not get sucked into whatever that opening was. 

Well, that was until he noticed Donghyuck was nowhere near him. Heart stopping, Mark searched for him, only to see that he had fallen to the edge of Tartarus. 

Mark honestly didn’t even think, his body just moved on its own. 

One second he was standing at the edge of Tartarus watching Donghyuck fall and then the next second he was diving head first, hands reaching for the boy. The moment their hands connect, Donghyuck’s eyes fly open in shock, his lips parted. 

Mark could see the unspoken question in his eyes, so he answered, “I’m not losing you again.” 

And with that, Mark pulled Donghyuck flush against his body as his arms wrap themselves around the boy. Then closing his eyes shut with Donghyuck in his arms, he waited for the impact of the fall.


	3. Three

Tartarus was a cursed place, Mark thought as he held onto Donghyuck as they fell to what would be their deaths.

They said that it would take eight days for one to reach the very bottom of Tartarus.

But he honestly lost count of how long they were falling for. Has it already been eight days? Is their end coming soon? Or has it only been an hour? Mark didn’t know. All that he knew was that Donghyuck was still in his arms, he had been fast enough to follow him into the pit of Tartarus. 

It was an incredibly stupid decision, not to mention a reckless decision to have followed Donghyuck in like this. But he couldn’t lose him again. He just couldn’t. 

He would rather die together with him than live on without him. 

Time was irrelevant in a place like Tartarus. One hour could seem like one second. And then one second could seem like eternity. 

They’ve been falling like this, the gravity pushing down on them, the air hot and stuffy all around them. But Mark didn’t mind, because he had Donghyuck. Nothing really mattered when he stared into those honey, brown eyes, the very center of his universe. 

“Why?” Donghyuck cried out, his voice barely above that of a whisper. Mark felt his hands clutching on his back tightly, his nails digging into his skin. “Why did you follow me?” 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Mark replied as he continued to stare into those eyes that he grew to love so much. 

“You shouldn’t have followed me in, Mark. You shouldn’t have followed me into Tartarus. I’m not worth it. I’m not that important for you to follow me to your impending death.”

Now it was Mark’s turn to hold onto him tightly. He’s barely able to keep his voice from weavering. Pressing his face into Donghyuck’s messy hair, lips right by his ears, Mark said, “Don’t be stupid, Hyuck. I will follow you. No matter how many times you fall or get lost, I will always catch you or find you. I won’t lose you again, ever.” 

“If I’m stupid then you’re even more stupid, Mark Lee.” Donghyuck argued, but there’s no real heat to his words. He honestly just sounded defeated as he hugged Mark tighter, holding onto him as if he was going to disappear if he would loosen his grip. “I’m already fucking dead. Falling into Tartarus would mean nothing to me.” 

“Don’t say that, Hyuck. You know it’s not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not.” Mark retorted, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. “It fucking means everything. You mean  _ everything. _ ” Breathing out deeply, Mark shut his eyes. “I know what happens when things get thrown into Tartarus. They never come back, Hyuck.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“But do you really know it though?” Mark questioned. When Donghyuck kept quiet, hands clutching tighter onto him, he already knew the boy’s answer to his question. “People like us don’t come back. But Gods and monsters have it a little easier than us. They get reborn after an extended amount of time. Us? It’s over. Tartarus consumes us completely. We don’t get reborn. We don’t get reborn if we die in Tartarus.”

“Wait, if we die?” Donghyuck interrupted, confusion evident in his tone. “You mean if  _ you  _ die. I’m already dead, Mark.”

Mark shook his head. “Actually you’re not. Well, your body is dead but your soul isn’t because you sold it to Charon. So your soul is very much alive. You’re just in a limbo state of being dead but at the same time you’re not.” 

“I don’t understand…”

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain it all to you when we find a way back to the Underworld and the Palace.”

Upon hearing his words, Donghyuck couldn’t help but let out a loud snort, one that echoed endlessly all around them. “What makes you think that we’ll make it out of here, alive? And how the hell are we supposed to navigate our way through Tartarus. It’s not like anyone survived to make it back to create a map for future travelers.”

“A map isn’t always necessary, Hyuck. You just have to learn to embrace the uncertainty of the journey and trust the process.”

Donghyuck burst out into fits of laughter. Mark was sure that a sound as melodic and happy as that had never been heard in the pits of Tartarus before. So even in their current predicament, Mark can’t help but be swayed by Donghyuck’s laugh, feeling a smile spread across his lips.

Still in his fits of laughs, Donghyuck managed to say, “Yeah, because we totally have a fucking process to trust.”

“Well,” Mark began, eyes staring deep into Donghyuck’s eyes. “You trust me, right?”

“I had an ounce of doubt before.” Donghyuck said, eyes twinkling and Mark found himself a little offended by this, especially considering all the things that he had done thus far for the boy. Mark was ready to argue back with him until Donghyuck spoke his next words. “But the moment that your dumbass followed me into the pit of Tartarus, you have my absolute trust, Mark Lee.”

Mark smiled, feeling like he was on the top of the world. 

He had always missed his chances when it came to confessing his love to Lucas. The timing was just never right. There was never a perfect time. 

With Donghyuck though, Mark felt like he had all the time in the world. 

Time was a fickle thing. It kept people as its prisoner, enslaving them. It was biased to no one, not even the Gods. But it was merciless to everyone. 

Time continues on even when no one is paying attention. 

Time is a precious thing. 

It was something that everyone always wanted more of.

But time wasn’t really measured by the clock. No, time was measured in moments. And he simply did not have enough moments yet. He didn’t have enough moments with his father. He didn’t have enough moments with Lucas. He didn’t have enough moments with Donghyuck, especially with Donghyuck. 

He hadn’t tried his hardest in the times before. He simply let those moments that he could have had slip right through his fingers, like the sand in an hourglass. He let it happen once, even twice, but Mark would let it happen for a third time. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. 

Donghyuck meant too much for him to not try. 

Mark was determined to do whatever he could to get at least another moment with Donghyuck. And from that one moment, he would make it so that he could get another, then another until he could have his forever with Donghyuck. He wasn’t going to take anything less. 

He knew that Donghyuck felt the same too as he stared into the very depth of those honey, brown eyes. Donghyuck was determined to take and seize any moment that he could get to spend it with Mark. Despite what he had said earlier, Mark knew that Donghyuck wanted a forever that had him in it too. 

Just knowing this fact gave him faith. Mark knew that they were going to make it out of there, together, without a doubt. 

.

Mark wasn’t sure at first, but the harder he focused, he began to hear the sound of rushing water. Before he could voice this out, Donghyuck had beaten him to it. Confused, Donghyuck whispered out, “Is that water?”

Mark nodded, equally surprised. “Yeah, I think it is.”

Not believing what he was hearing though, Donghyuck asked again, “Water in Tartarus? I didn’t even know that it was a thing.”

“You don’t know a lot of things about it, Hyuck.”

“I guess I don’t.” 

He took a peak over Donghyuck’s shoulders, eyes straining to see if he could make out what was really below them. Although it was dark, he could briefly make out the distinctive reflection of the water below. Stunned, he racked his mind for any major bodies of water that existed in Tartarus. 

There was the  Phlegethon River, but that was more fire than actual water though. It couldn’t have the ability to create a reflection as such for it was nothing but burning fire. The bottom would be bright and there would be light from the burning flames. But as he continued to stare down at the bottom, there wasn’t much light, so it couldn’t have been the Phlegethon River. 

Suddenly the sound of rushing water began to grow louder and louder until it was absolutely deafening. 

As the waves and currents of the waters roared in their ears, Donghyuck held onto him tight, calling out for his name. “Mark?”

Returning the tight embrace, Mark tried his best to reassure the boy in his ears even though his heart was threatening to burst out from his chest. “It’ll be okay, Hyuck.” The moment those words left his lips, Mark felt his heart stop. 

One moment they were free falling in Tartarus, then the next second they were struggling to find air as the cold water surrounded them. It was only then that Mark came to the realization that the water that they had fallen into was the River Cocytus, or the River of Wailing. 

Anguish thoughts and screams filled his head as his head disappeared below the surface of the river. The calls that reached his ears sounded so familiar to the ones that he had heard in the illusion of the Asphodel Meadows and it shook him to the very core. The voices in the river called out to him, persuading him to give up and be taken away by the currents to his death. 

But he didn’t let that happen. Mark focused all of his energy into blocking out the sounds of their calls and screams. Instead of listening to them, Mark turned his attention to Donghyuck, who was struggling even worse than he was at staying afloat. 

Arms pushing through the currents, Mark swam over to Donghyuck, hands reaching out to Donghyuck’s flailing arms. The second that their hands made contact with one another, Mark immediately pulled the boy up from under the water into his chest. He allowed Donghyuck to rest on him as he tried to swim to the shore but it was much more difficult than he had expected because Donghyuck was resisting his help with every single fiber of his being, thanks to the cursed river. 

Wiping the water out of his eyes, Mark pressed his hands on either side of Donghyuck’s head, forcing him to look at him. “Hyuck, listen to me. Listen to only me.”

Donghyuck’s lips were turning blue from the frigid waters, trembling as he tried to speak. Eyes completely glazed over and his mind almost lost, he whispered, “But the voices…”

“No.” Mark shook his head, pulling the boy closer to him, until their forehead touched. “Listen to me. Don’t listen to them. Their words don’t matter. They’re lies. They’re not real, Hyuck. I’m real. You’re real.”

They stayed there like that, in the middle of the River Cocytus, until the fog was lifted from Donghyuck’s eyes and he was back in his right mindset. And Mark knew that Donghyuck had come back around when the boy all but threw his arms around his neck tight. Welcoming the hug with a sigh, Mark wrapped his arms around Donghyuck and began to swim to the shore again. Planting a soft kiss on the side of Donghyuck’s head, he said, “I got you, Hyuck.” 

The closer that he got to the shore, Mark realized that the shore that he was approaching wasn’t normal. But he didn’t think too much about it because nothing in Tartarus was normal. The only thing he could think about was getting Donghyuck out of the waters. 

Donghyuck was nothing but a trembling mess once they were out of the river, shaking so hard that his teeth were clattering against each other. Seeing this, Mark began to make his way back over towards the boy after trying to regain his breath only to slip on his feet. Hands slamming down against the ground, Mark grimaced as he felt his skin break, blood flowing freely. It was only then that he realized that the shore was different. The shore that they were laying upon was completely made up of glass. Broken shards continued to stab and cut their skin open as they laid there. 

Hastily getting back up onto his feet, Mark looked over to where Donghyuck was sitting, ready to haul the boy to his feet. But the sight that he came to see made Mark stop dead in his tracks. Lips parting, breathing coming out unevenly, Mark felt his heart race again. Donghyuck was nearly transparent, like the souls in the Asphodel Meadows. The boy looked extremely fatigued, his cheeks hollowed in. 

“Hyuck, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, just peachy.” Donghyuck muttered as he began to sway on his feet as he tried to stand up, seeming to get lightheaded. He reached out blindly for Mark, missing a few times until Mark met him halfway. 

The moment that their hands connected, Mark’s eyes widened as Donghyuck’s figure returned back to normal, full opaqueness, his true form. As this occurred, Mark had an inkling of why it had happened but he honestly didn’t want to test his suspicions. He didn’t want to test the limits of how much Donghyuck could handle on his own before he would disappear completely. All that he did know was that Donghyuck needed to be in direct contact with him or else the Tartarus would consume him entirely. 

So, Mark held onto Donghyuck’s hands as tightly as he could, refusing to let them separate.

In a place where it is meant to destroy things, Donghyuck needed to hold onto him in order to not fade away and survive. He was not quite sure how that would work since he would be part of the list of things the Tartarus would want to kill off too, but as he thought back to all that had happened that far, Mark realized that he was an exception. He had taken a dip in the River Styx. He had bathed in the river as Achilles had done. Aside from it being the river that all Gods swore oaths upon, it also had magical properties to it. Looking down at his once cut up arms and hands, he saw that all the cuts that he had gotten from the glass shore were completely healed. 

When the Furies had unknowingly tried to drown him in the river while attacking Donghyuck, he was able to take in the powers of invincibility of the river. Not many were able to gain such powers from the river, but he could only guess that his desire to save Donghyuck had helped him survive the process. Without the powers that he had gained from the River Styx, Mark was certain that he would have perished, along with Donghyuck, in their fall into the Cocytus River. 

Even though holding onto him had lessened the effect of Tartarus on Donghyuck’s body, Donghyuck was still fairly weak after all the trauma that his body was put through. Seeing this, Mark tucked him to his side, supporting most of his weight for him. “You have to hold onto me, okay? Tartarus is where monsters and Gods are casted away after they die. Everything in this place wants to kill us, especially you, so hold onto me.” 

Donghyuck could only whisper a soft  _ ‘thank you’  _ in response. 

. 

They traveled along the Cocytus River, using it as a reference point to keep them from getting entirely lost. A great deal of time had probably already passed since they started walking, but Mark wasn’t all too sure. The only thing that he knew was that Donghyuck was still safely tucked away in his arms and that they were together. 

He had heard stories about the Tartarus before but he never took much of what he heard to heart. As far as he knew, no one ever survived the fall into Tartarus and made it out alive to be a living proof of their stories. But one thing that everyone was correct about was that the Tartarus was like an empty void, cloaked in absolute darkness. It was far worse than the labyrinth for sure. Honestly at that point, it was funny how Mark had thought that the labyrinth was an awful place. After facing the wrath of the Underworld and now Tartarus, the labyrinth was like a walk in the park. Back then the only thing he had to worry about was solving some stupid riddles. Now, he had everything to worry about. 

When they first started following the Cocytus River, he could barely see anything more than a couple centimeters in front of him. Sight was one of the main key senses that people relied heavily on to function. Sight was extremely important for a demigod. Not being able to see anything around you was terrifying, it terrified him to the very core. The only thing that held him steady was the subtle warmth of Donghyuck’s body against his own, his safe heaven. Mark couldn’t possibly imagine what he would do if he had fallen in that cursed place alone. He probably wouldn’t have even survived the fall.

As he tightened his hold on Donghyuck, pulling him even closer, Mark couldn’t imagine what would happen to Donghyuck had he fallen in by himself like he had initially planned to. And it seemed like Donghyuck was thinking about this too judging by how he had unconsciously gripped at Mark’s hand. 

“I know.” Mark told him. “I know, Donghyuck.” 

The ground that they walked on was uneven since they had chosen to stick close to the shores. Using the Cocytus River as a guide wasn’t a bad idea, but that had also meant that they were continuing to walk on the broken glass shards that made up the shore. They poked and stabbed at the bottom of his feet, sending a dull pain up his spine. It was an annoyance for him but for Donghyuck, it seemed painful. Noticing this, Mark tried his best to pull most of Donghyuck’s weight onto him so that he could take the full brunt of the glass shards digging into the bottom of his feet. 

If he had thought that the air during the fall was unbreathable, then the air at the bottom of the pit was toxic. The sulfuric air burned his eyes and nostrils, suffocating him. The more he breathed it in, the more breathless he felt. Even with the invincibility he gained from the River Styx couldn’t help his body fight back at the torture that the Tartarus was imposing on him. 

Mark knew that the Tartarus was going to be difficult on his body physically, but with each passing moment, it was starting to be mentally taxing as well. The lack of breathable air and visible light was starting to mess with his head. He was slowly losing the stable grip that he had, his insanity slipping away as it did in the labyrinth. 

“How are we going to navigate our way through this place? It’s basically unknown territory.” Donghyuck asked weakly, shaking him out of his thoughts. 

“Well, there is one thing that I do know about Tartarus.” Mark began to say, his mind reeling as he thought about the land that they were in. “ It’s supposed to have an entrance and an exit.”

“Supposed to?” Donghyuck repeated, his tone filled with disbelief. “Well, that’s great to hear… not.”

“It does.” Mark said, trying to reassure the shaken boy. “Tartarus has many entrances, but only one possible exit. It’s the doors to Hades’s Palace.”

“Okay, great. But how are these doors supposed to help us?”

“Like the labyrinth, Tartarus is very much alive. Tartarus is not just a land where monsters and exiled Gods are casted away to. Tartarus is actually the body of a God. Tartarus is a God and we’re walking on his body right now.” Mark explained and at Donghyuck’s extremely disgusted expression he couldn’t help but smile despite the severity of the situation. Pulling Donghyuck close, he added, “Entrances to the Tartarus can not be determined, it is constantly changing because of the God’s growth. Entrances move as the Tartarus grows day by day. But the exit is at the heart of the Tartarus, a position that never changes.”

“Okay, if the exit is at the heart of Tartarus, how are we going to get there?”

“We’ll follow the  Phlegethon River, it should lead us directly to the heart, where the doors of Hades’ Palace will be located. Even in the Underworld, the Phlegethon River follows right into Tartarus.”

“How do you know this?” Donghyuck suddenly asked, eyes full of questions.

Donghyuck’s question made him freeze, stopping completely in his steps. His eyes pinned him down in a way that was almost unnerving as if he had seen right through Mark and pulled against the veil that hid all of his secrets. He felt his heart speed up, panic seeping into his veins. 

Mouth running dry, Mark said, “There’s a map of the Underworld right? We were taught about it back at camp.”

Donghyuck nodded, understanding. “Your camp sure does teach you all a lot of things.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing.” Mark breathed out. His muscles didn’t lose the tension in them until Donghyuck had removed his eyes from his face. Relieved that Donghyuck didn't ask any further questions, Mark shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “I think that you’ll like it, Hyuck.”

“It does sound like a place that I would enjoy.” 

His heart became a little lighter as he began to think about Donghyuck at camp, like that of the dreams he had when they first entered the Underworld. Donghyuck would love camp, it was perfect for the sunkissed boy. Camp was summer all year round, salty breezes and hot air. For those that wanted to live in the season of summer forever, camp was the place to be. It hardly rained at camp too, but when it did, the air became fresher laced with the scents of strawberries from the Demeter kid’s gardens. 

“The first thing that I’m doing right after we get out of this whole mess is taking you right to camp.” Mark promised.

“Okay.” Donghyuck smiled for the first time since they had fallen into the river. His eyes burned bright even in the dark, glowing a golden amber. “I’ll hold you to that promise.” 

.

It was only a certain amount of time before they would have come face to face with another unfortunate encounter, and it had happened when the Cocytus River slowly came to an end and the view of the Phlegethon River came into sight. Unlike the red flames that he had read and heard about, the Phlegethon River emitted blue ones. It flickered chilling in the dark, making everything around them seem darker than it really was. The blue flames did a poor job of lighting up the area.

The air was no longer hot and stuffy as it had been, instead it was ice cold, sending shivers down his spine. It made his hair stand and his skin crawl. Mark knew that whatever happened next, couldn’t have been good. And he hadn’t been wrong thus far. 

“Mark?” Donghyuck shivered, his breath visible even in the dark. “I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, me neither, Hyuck.” Mark whispered back. He tried to offer the younger boy as much comfort and reassurance as he could. Tugging him closer, until their warm bodies were flushed against one another, he held onto him tightly. “But it’ll be okay.”

He listened and felt the way Donghyuck’s heart was beating rapidly in his chest. His heart was hammering against his chest so intensely that Mark’s own heart began to mimic its speed. His breathing became shallow, his senses heightened. His body was prepared and ready for the worst to come at them. Mark was ready to protect Donghyuck at all cost, like he had always been. 

They walked for not more than a couple steps, when Mark froze. 

Donghyuck nearly stumbled over his own feet at the sudden stop. Confused, he asked, “What? What is it?”

Pressing a finger to his lips, Mark motioned for him to keep quiet. Pushing Donghyuck behind him, Mark strained his eyes, trying to see in the dark for the cause of his unsettledness, but he saw nothing. 

Just when he was about to blame himself for being overly paranoid about everything, he felt  _ it.  _

Jagged, uneven nails scraped across the back of his neck, sending his entire body into shock, but the fear that he felt was nothing in comparison to the words that were whispered in his ears,  _ “We’ve been waiting for you.”  _

Heart jumping to his throat, Mark immediately pulled himself and Donghyuck away from whatever  _ that  _ was. Unsheathing his sword, he positioned it in front of them, a poor attempt in creating a barrier between them and the creature that had just announced its arrival. 

“Who are you?” Mark demanded, eyes searching for the owner of the voice. He tried to put on a brave front for both him and Donghyuck’s sake but in reality, he was scared shitless. This would be the first monster that they would encounter in Tartarus and he wasn’t prepared for it. Right hand gripping his sword tightly and his left gripping Donghyuck’s shaking hands, he hissed, “What are you?” 

_ “My, my, what an impatient child you are.” _ It spoke back, voice shrill and sounding like nails on the chalkboard. Mark couldn’t help but wince.  _ “Did no one teach you any manners, my darlings?” _

Feeling the fear within him be replaced by that of fiery anger, Mark bit out, “Show yourself!”

_ “I don’t think you would like that, darling.” _ It crackled, its malicious laugh echoing in the darkest.  _ “But if you request so, you shall get.” _

At first, Mark had thought that the Furies that he had killed earlier in the Underworld had reincarnated and were ready to get revenge for what he had done to them. The creatures that appeared before them looked exactly like Furies with their leathery wings and their glowing red eyes. But as more of them popped up, surrounding them from all sides, Mark knew that they couldn’t have been Furies, as there were only three Furies. 

_ “We are the arai. We are the curses that the dead wish upon the living for their deaths.”  _ They chorused in unison, the combination of all their voices made his ear bleed. “ _ You have many curses, Mark Lee. You have killed many in your lifetime.” _

Mark swallowed thickly, feeling the sweat begin to form on his forehead. Behind him, he could feel Donghyuck clutching onto his hands even tighter, the younger’s body shaking entirely. 

Life as a demigod wasn’t easy. It wasn’t at all. Not when they had an infinite number of enemies that ranged from monsters of the Underworld to the Gods of Olympus. It was hard to please even one person, let alone all the mystical beings in the world. It was also hard when the Gods decided to choose them as their pawn in their little game of revenge against another God. There was no win lose situation when he was a demigod. It was a lose lose situation all around, Mark had found this out early in his life. 

Without even thinking, his body simply acted on its own as his right arm swung out and sliced through the first row of arias. Mark had half expected the curses to attack him instantly but when he didn’t feel anything, he continued to attack. He didn’t pay any attention to where he was swinging his sword, he just swung it. As long as his blade made contact with one of the arias and their body vanished, it was the only thing that mattered. 

_ “We are the arai, darling. It is pointless to swing your sword at us for you can not destroy us.”  _ They taunted him, but he blocked out all of their words. He continued swinging without a plan, just to kill as many of them as possible. It wasn’t until he cut another one in half, that he felt a searing pain across his shoulders, making him groan. 

“Oh, my Gods.” Donghyuck cried out, hands reaching out to steady him and to keep him from falling flat on his face. “Mark, you’re bleeding!”

And sure enough as he reached his hand up to the shoulders, something warm and sticky coated his fingers. He didn’t need to be told twice to know that it was blood. Eyes welling up with tears, Mark gritted his teeth together. Breathing becoming labor as blood continued to seep from his wound, he mumbled, “It’s fine.”

“No, you’re fucking not, Mark!” Donghyuck shouted as he started to add pressure to the wound, fingers slowly staining red. 

As Mark opened his mouth to retort back, he felt another scathing pain erupt at his side, making him drop to the ground. He distinctly heard the sound of Donghyuck’s cries past the ringing in the ear but he couldn’t have been sure. His mind was clouded by the pain that his body was feeling and the murmurs of the dead, who had cursed him with their final breath. 

The sword wound across his shoulders was one he had given to a Harpie, the first monster of many, that came and attacked him at school. 

The cuts on his sides were from an Empousa that he had managed to kill on his first quest with Lucas and Jungwoo. 

But those wounds were nothing in comparison to the fire that seemed to envelope his entire body, from head to toe. Unable to stop himself, Mark cried out in pain, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. It felt like smoke was grasping at his neck and suffocating him whole. His lungs burned and yearned for air, but every time that he would open his mouth to take in the air he desperately needed, there was nothing. 

Mark felt himself growing more and more lightheaded with each passing second. He tried to get a hold of himself but his mind continued to spin and spin like a merry go round.

He could hear the distant sounds of the arias crackling and Donghyuck’s cries for him, but the pain had him numb. He was in so much pain that soon, he felt nothing at all. 

_ ‘Why didn’t you save me?’  _ A strikingly familiar voice called out to him, shaking him wide away. The fire that had ignited his whole body was dosed away as the voice poured water as cold as ice over him, shaking him out of his daze.

Eye snapping wide open, staring straight into Donghyuck’s worried eyes, he sat up. Ignoring the younger boy’s cries laced with concern and the dull pain that held him captive, Mark searched for the owner of the voice. He knew exactly who it had belonged to but he didn’t want to believe it until he saw it. He couldn’t believe that  _ he  _ would have placed a curse on him with his final breath too. He couldn’t fathom it.  _ He  _ wouldn’t, would he?

_ ‘Why didn’t you choose me?’  _

Scrambling to his feet and using his sword as levage to support his weight, Mark peered into the darkness trying to find the person he was looking for. 

_ ‘Why, Mark? Why did you choose him over me? Why?’ _

“I didn’t have a choice!”

_ ‘You always had a choice, Mark Lee.’ _

“You were already dead, Lucas! It would have been pointless. Nothing could have brought you back.” Mark sobbed, his heart starting to ache again. He had thought that he had left that pain behind in the Asphodel Meadows, but it seemed like he was wrong. The ache grew and grew until it replaced the numbness that he had once felt, consuming him whole.

_ ‘So was he! But you still chose him! He was dead. He’s a Lost Soul and you still saved him!’ _

He felt Donghyuck’s trembling arms around him, trying to keep him grounded, but it wasn’t any use. The boy continued to call out to him, pleading and begging him not to listen to the words that he heard. Donghyuck gripped at his arms, shaking him, asking him to remember that all that he heard wasn’t truly real. He screamed at him, yelling that Lucas couldn’t have wished for a curse on him like that. Donghyuck tried to make sense of all the pain that he was feeling, tears streaming down his face. 

Donghyuck wasn’t in all that much better shape than Mark. While he was struggling with curses of his own from killing the arias, Donghyuck had tried to fight off those demon ladies too as best as he could. It was hard fending for himself when he didn’t have a single weapon of his own. All that he could do was mostly rely on Mark to do most of the damage while he used a large rock to knock the arias out. For a simple rock, it sure did a lot of damage because he felt the brunt of a few curses. One had been an arrow to the stomach for the time he killed a Sphinx in Las Vegas. Another had been another arrow he had shot into the shoulder of some cyclops, regardless it had hurt like a complete bitch. 

Mark had been so consumed in his own thoughts and pain that he hadn't noticed the arais that were slowly creeping up on them. The demonic ladies had their fangs barre, hissing as saliva dripped from their mouths. They held an assortment of weapons in their hands, from broken swords to clean, cut daggers. It seemed to have once been the weapons of the people that had placed the curses on them. 

Although his thoughts have been muddled and nothing less than chaotic, Mark still gripped onto Donghyuck’s hand tightly. Even when he was no longer mentally there, he still made sure that their hands were connected. And when he gave Donghyuck’s hand an unconscious squeeze, Donghyuck cried out in joy beside. 

“Mark, don’t listen to them. Block them out. Please!” Donghyuck shouted, tugging on his arms. “We have to get out of here. The more we kill the more curses we’ll get. There’s really no point in fighting.” 

_ “Ah, son of Apollo, what an intelligent child you are.” _ The arais chorused, venom dripping from every word.  _ “He is correct. Fighting is useless. But, if you do, it makes our job so much easier.” _

Mark remembered the feeling of Donghyuck pressed up against his back and the way that the boy’s grip on his upper arm became firmer. He remembered the tears that continued to drip from his sad eyes and the way that it stained his tan cheeks. He remembered the way his name had left Donghyuck’s lips, sounding so distressed before the boy gave him a final tug, making him fall to the ground. Then he heard the sickening sound of breaking skin as a dagger dug its way into the spot between Donghyuck’s neck and collarbone, narrowly missing his main artery. 

The grip that Donghyuck had on his left hand loosened as he fell, eyes closed tight. One moment, Donghyuck was right beside him, and the next, he was bleeding out on the ground. 

His heart stopped all together as his hands chased after Donghyuck out of pure reflex as his mind struggled to comprehend all that just happened. He had been so occupied with Lucas that he hadn’t noticed that one of the aria had aimed its dagger right at his  _ Achilles  _ spot. He had failed to protect that spot like he was supposed to, just as how he was supposed to have protected Donghyuck. Instead he had allowed the arias and their damn curses to get into his mind like how they had wanted to and made him lose all sense of reality. They attacked him when he was at his weakest and they were almost successful had it not been for Donghyuck. 

He wasn’t sure how the younger boy had found out, but Donghyuck had realized where his Achilles spot was. Donghyuck had realized where it was and he had rushed to save him, not caring or fearing that he would get hurt in the process. Donghyuck had taken the hit for him because he knew what would happen if the arias had been successful in their attempt to stab him at his Achilles spot. 

Mark held onto Donghyuck, clutching his warm body against his chest, cradling his head in his hands. If he had thought that he wasn’t able to breathe before, then the air was vacuumed out of him entirely. “No,” he whispered, eyes wide as he watched the blood ooze out from the side of Donghyuck’s neck, staining everything. “No, no. Donghyuck!”

Donghyuck grimaced, eyes still shut tight. Even in this situation, the younger boy still managed to smile. “You thought you were so sneaky, huh? An  _ Achilles _ spot beneath your ear? Are you stupid, Mark Lee?”

“No, you’re fucking stupid, Donghyuck.” Mark cried out, hands working fast to apply pressure to the wound. Shaking his head, he growled, “Why did you take that, you dumbass? You know what would happen if you die here, right?”

“Exactly, I  _ knew  _ what would happen if we died here.” Donghyuck mumbled, his words slowly losing its teasing tone that it usually held. He could feel Donghyuck’s body growing slack in his arms as he slowly began to slip away. “I don’t think I need to remind you, Mark, but I’m already dead.”

Throwing his head back, Mark tried to keep his own tears at bay, but it wasn’t any use. The tears were already cascading down his cheeks, blurring his vision as it did so. Applying more pressure to the wound, he ignored the way the wetness beneath his hands continued to grow and grow until they were sitting in a pool of Donghyuck’s blood. 

_ “Oh, how lovely. His death will only add more to the curses that you shall receive, child.”  _ An aria laughed melciouslously, her words bringing worth a wave of anger that he hadn't known had been simmering in the pits of his stomach. 

The air around him snapped and crackled. He felt the rage within him grow and grow, until he saw nothing but the color of the blood that he wished to spill from those damned arias for what they had done to Donghyuck. No one, absolutely no one was allowed to touch a single hair on the top of Dongyuck’s head and get away with it. Mark would not allow that , never. 

He hadn’t called for this kind power in a long time, decades even. However, as his temper rose and the desire to bury all of those damn arias alive increased with every breath that he took, he allowed himself to be consumed. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shifted as it divided the land into two, shaking the mountains and rivers around them. 

Eyes shut closed, Mark focused on the gradually growing burning sensation in his heart. The valley that he had created, acted as a barrier between them and the arias. The valley hissed as it spewed hot air from the very core of Tartarus, effectively raising the temperature around them. Soon enough, the once frigid air that the arias had carried with them became sweltering hot.

The ground continued to shake, sending waves of vibrations to his very core. It had shaken the arias off their feet, but to Mark, it gave him more strength. He thrived off of the chaos that he had created. 

Thousands of screaming souls pierced through the air, cutting it like a knife. The first one had reached the summit, its pale hands gripping onto the edge of the crack that Mark had created. Once the first had climbed to the surface, many more followed, until there was an entire army of cursed souls standing before him. 

One of the arias stumbled back, fear evident in her eyes. “It can’t be. There’s no way.” Shaking her head, she scrambled and pushed against her sisters, trying to distance herself as far as she could from the cursed souls. “ _ He  _ couldn’t be.” 

He ignored the clear surprise that the arias exhibited. Mark didn’t give two shits for what those demon ladies were feeling. All that he focused on was that they would  _ pay  _ for what they had done to Donghyuck, no exception. They were about to feel his complete wrath. 

Mumbling a brief latin chant under his breath, he watched as slowly one by one, each of the cursed souls latched onto an arai and dragged them back into the valley with them. The sounds of their screams were music to his ears, Mark couldn’t help but smile as he watched them fall to their demise, as they deserved. They fought and struggled against the cursed souls, but it was pointless. They begged and pleaded for his forgiveness but he did not care for they did not deserve any kind of kindness. As they had brought about curses on the people that they’ve crossed paths with, it was only suitable for them to die in the same manner, by the hands of the cursed soul. 

Mark couldn’t think of a better punishment for them. He felt more alive than ever as one by one, the cursed souls collected the arias, until there were none left. Seeing that their job had been done, he dismissed them with the back of his hands, effectively sealing the crack in the ground as if it was never there in the first place. 

Once the arias were gone, Mark finally felt like he could take a moment to breath. He didn’t have to constantly worry about which one was going to attack them next. With them out of the picture, he was finally able to take care of Donghyuck properly. 

He fell to the ground beside Donghyuck, whether it be from the sheer exhaustion from opening up the ground like that or from relief that those damned arias were gone, he wasn’t sure. 

During the entire time that all of that had unfolded, Mark hadn’t released his hold from the younger boy. Despite everything, he still made sure that Donghyuck was connected to him. The younger boy wouldn’t have survived even if his hands had accidently slipped from his grasp. Donghyuck was too wounded to have lasted a second without the living touching him. 

With his back against the rough ground, sharp rocks digging into his skin, Mark pulled Donghyuck closer to him until the boy was safely tucked away in his arms as he was. As his fingers grazed the side of the boy’s neck, Mark breathed out, feeling relief coursing through his veins as the dagger wound had managed to heal itself already. It was in moments like this that Mark was truly thankful that Donghyuck was a Lost Soul, if he hadn’t then he would have been as good as dead. As that thought plagued his mind, Mark couldn't fathom the pain that he would feel if that had happened. He didn’t even want to think about it. 

He stopped crying long ago, but his cheeks were still stained with the remanments of them. As he held Donghyuck, he felt the need to cry again. “Oh, Donghyuck…” 

Nosing his face into Donghyuck’s messy hair, caked with his own dried blood, Mark exhaled a shaky breath for everything was going to be okay again. As long as they had each other, everything was going to be alright. He was sure of that. 

Feeling as though he had fought hard enough thus far, Mark allowed himself to surrender to the exhaustion that was seeping to his bones. Hands still wrapped firmly around Donghyuck’s body, he finally closed his eyes. 

.

After what he had done, Mark honestly could have slept for an eternity, but sleep was a pleasure that demigods like him didn’t have because when they slept, it meant that they were more prone to getting nightmares or visions. Ever since the very start of his journey, he had never had one good rest, and it seemed like the trend was going to continue as his eyes snapped wide open, sweat clinging to his back. Mind in overdrive and his heartbeat in his ears, Mark searched for the boy that had supposedly died within his dreams. 

As he moved to sit straight up, Mark was stopped by the heavy weight upon his chest and the tired whines that reached his ears. Eyes dropping down to the body that was laying on top of him, Mark sighed in relief. Donghyuck didn’t die. He was right where he was supposed to be, tucked in the safety of Mark’s arms. 

Donghyuck continued to whine out to him, in an incoherent manner at the sudden movement. “Mark… five more minutes… “

Mark snorted back a laugh as he listened to the words that Donghyuck had mumbled out loud. Of course, even in the very pit of Tartarus, Donghyuck would complain about sleeping in for a couple more minutes. It was so Donghyuck. Mark was glad that at last one of them had a peaceful rest. Not to mention, it made sense that Donghyuck would be able to find sleep for he wasn’t alive in the same way that Mark was. Despite everything, at the end of the day, Donghyuck was still a Lost Soul, and that fact had worked in his advantage many times. Mark was glad that it did. 

“We should really get moving, Hyuck.” Mark whispered, placing a tender kiss on the side of Donghyuck’s head. “We don’t know what other monsters are lurking around here, waiting to attack us. And after what we just had to deal with, I would rather not find out.” 

At his words, Donghyuck grumbled a few more incoherent things. Then with much reluctance, the younger boy finally rose up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He sat there for a moment, staring at Mark as if he was the strangest thing in the world. Donghyuck shook his head, a tender smile on his lips. With a sigh, he said, “Yeah, I don’t think we’ll really have to worry about anything if you have crazy ass powers like that.” Then lips setting into a pout, he nagged, “If you had that kind of power this entire time, why didn’t you use it dumbass? It would have saved us so many troubles. Sometimes I wonder what even goes on in that big head of yours.” 

“My head isn’t that big,” Mark huffed, rolling his eyes. As his fingers found themselves back into Donghyuck’s unruly locks, trying to detangle them as best as he could, he added, “It takes a lot out of me to be using powers as such, so I normally don’t use them, if not at all. It’s only in desperate situations.” 

“I think all of the problems we’ve had can be labeled as  _ desperate,  _ Mark. What part of dying to you isn’t desperate?” 

“Or when I’m super pissed off, the power just comes on its own. It’s more so fueled by my emotions than my mind. Even if I call for it, sometimes it doesn’t come out.”

“So you’re basically like the Hulk,” Donghyuck deadpanned but the corners of his lips were threatening to pull up into a smile. “Being emotionally constipated and all.”

Unable to resist, Mark broke all of his composure and laughed. His shoulders shook as he held onto his stomach, laughter taking complete control over his body. “Well, I guess you can say that.” He said once he was able to stop himself from laughing. But the smile stayed on his face as he reached out once more to tuck a lock of curly hair behind Donghyuck’s ear. “I’m glad you’re alright though.” 

“I’m glad you’re okay too.” The younger boy whispered back, leaning into his touch, eyes never leaving his own. 

Under Donghyuck’s stare, a sudden thought crossed his mind. The reason that Donghyuck had gotten hurt in the first place was because he had moved to take the dagger that was originally meant for him. Donghyuck had taken the dagger for him because he knew where his Achilles point was. He hadn’t mentioned anything about it to Donghyuck so Mark wasn’t sure how the younger boy found out. 

“How did you know about my Achilles heel?” He asked, brows fusing together as he raked his mind, trying to figure out if he had accidently let it slip once or not. But he couldn’t remember. 

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck broke their eye contact for a brief second as his gaze fluttered down to the area beneath Mark’s ear. He watched, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart, as Donghyuck caressed the side of his neck with his thumb. Eyes still locked on his Achilles spot, Donghyuck mumbled, “You took a dip in the River Styx and survived. Everyone knows of the powers that it held. It’s not hard to put one and one together.”

Mark nodded, agreeing with his words. But it still didn’t explain how Donghyuck knew  _ exactly  _ where it was on his body. His Achilles could have been anywhere. 

Seeing the evident confusion on his face, Donghyuck added, “If you’re wondering why I also knew where it was, then I don’t really have an answer for that.” With a shrug of his shoulders, Donghyuck caressed his Achilles spot once more before dropping his hand back into his lap. “I just had a feeling. I just had a feeling that it was there. I’m glad that I was right. Or else we wouldn’t be here, talking like this.”

His heart warmed as he watched Donghyuck avoid his eyes at all cost, picking at the stray threads of his pants. And the warmth within his chest only grew when he looked down at their connected hands. Then tugging Donghyuck close, Mark leaned in and placed his forehead against his. He caught the way that Donghyuck’s breath hitched at their close proximity and the way his cheeks colored. Warm breaths mingling with one another, he whispered, “You’re amazing.”

Mark watched the way Donghyuck’s honey, brown eyes glimmered, flecks of gold reflecting in them. He watched how the corners of his lips turned upwards, spreading out into the smile that Mark had grown to love so much. Voice not growing louder than a whisper either, Donghyuck hummed, “And you’re quite something, Mark Lee.”

“Thank you,” Mark smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

“Well, what else would you take it as, dumbass?” Donghyuck quipped with a roll of his eyes. And just like that, the tender moment between them faded as they settled back into their constant banter. 

Hands still connected, Mark caressed his knuckles with his thumb, basking in the warmth that was radiating off of the younger boy. As he did this though, he began to notice all of the partially healed cuts and scars that marred Donghyuck’s skin. His heart clenched painfully as he began to run his thumb over each and every single one of them. Squeezing his eyes, Mark felt the hands of guilt claw at his soul. “I’m sorry that I’m not good enough to save you from all the pain, Donghyuck. Every single time, no matter what I do, I’m just not good enough for you’re always in pain because of me.” 

“Hey,” Donghyuck called out, tone soft. “Don’t be like that, Mark. Stop blaming yourself for everything. Not everything is your fault.”

“I don’t know. I think it is.”

“Well, you’re wrong.” Donghyuck continued, this time sounding more resolute. “Because did you call those arias to come out and attack us? No, you didn’t. Those damn things came out of nowhere, there wasn’t any way we would have known to prepare ourselves.” 

“But I should have protected you better, Hyuck. I shouldn’t have let those curses get to me. I shouldn’t have let them blind me the way that the arias wanted so that they could hurt you. I shouldn’t have let  _ him  _ get to me. I allowed him into my head and it made me lose sight of what was right in front of me; you.” 

Donghyuck shook his head, lips now settling into a thin line. Gripping onto Mark’s hands a little tighter, he said, “They were curses, Mark. You couldn’t have done anything about that either.” Then with a soft sigh, he added quietly, “Plus, it wasn’t your fault that you lost your focus on your goal to protect me.” 

Then it was Mark’s lips to turn upside down. “What do you mean?”

“You weren’t the only ones that got curses from killing those arias.” 

“Yeah, I know. You killed a few too when I was stuck in the curse that Lucas had placed on me.” Mark answered. His head hung low as he brushed his thumb across Donghyuck’s knuckles once more. “I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t have to experience any of those curses.” 

“Stop blaming everything that happens to me on yourself, Mark. Don’t be a martyr.”

“But…”

“No, stop it.” Donghyuck retorted. “It wasn't your fault that you couldn’t break free from that one curse. Because it was  _ my  _ fault.” 

Lips parted and eyes wide, Mark stuttered out, “What? How is that your fault?”

“Renjun cursed me.” The younger boy mumbled out, his hands trembling within Mark’s grasp. 

Feeling how Donghyuck’s mood dropped, Mark immediately pulled him into his embrace. Wounding his arms around the younger boy’s body, he pressed his lips to the side of Donghyuck’s temple. “Hey, it’s okay. What happened, happened. Don’t dwell too much on the past.”

Through trembling lips, Donghyuck said, “I can’t believe he did that. Never in a million years. Renjun would be the last person I would have thought of to do something like that.”

“I thought that about Lucas too, but you saw what had happened.”

“Still. Renjun? He could never.” Donghyuck shook his head, still in disbelief. “He wouldn’t. That’s not like him.” 

Mark combed his fingers to the latter’s hair, hoping to give the boy some comfort. Then planting another kiss into his curly locks, Mark offered, “What was Renjun like then? Tell me about him.” 

Donghyuck stirred slightly in his arms, head tilting up to meet his eyes. He didn’t say anything at first and Mark could practically hear the gears within his head turning. He saw the hesitation and knew that Donghyuck probably didn’t want to dig up that part of his life, but he knew that it was the only way for the younger boy to feel better. He knew from the way that Renjun’s name fell from Donghyuck’s lips that the mysterious boy was someone that Donghyuck was extremely close with and cared about. That was probably the reason why Donghyuck felt so betrayed by the curse. Mark could sympathize though, because he had felt the same way when he had discovered that Lucas had cursed him too, despite their long history.

“Oh, Renjun?” Donghyuck asked, repeating Mark’s question. He ran his tongue over his chapped lips as he laid his head back down on his chest. Eyes growing unfocused as he stared at nothing in particular, he said, “Renjun was…” 


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all my renhyuck lovers.

_ Donghyuck couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing right before him. He stood there, amidst  _ _ all of the horrified screams and cries, frozen, unable to move. It wasn’t until someone bumped into his shoulders as they tried to run away that he was shaken out of his daze. Nearly falling over from the impact, Donghyuck stumbled over his own feet trying to regain his balance. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears as his hands shook against the dirty ground.  _

_ The orphanage that he had once called his home, his only home, was burnt down to the ground. In seconds the brick building dwindled down until it was nothing but ashes. His eyes brimmed with tears, both from the heartache of realizing that his home was no more and from the billowing smoke that decorated the skies black. _

_ His hands balled into fists against the ground, not caring about the way the rough concrete scratched his skin. ‘Why,’ he thought. Why did the Gods have to take everything away from him? He never knew who his father was, only the fact that he had run out on his mother. He never lived the childhood he should have had with his mother, for she was ripped away from him far too soon by the hands of Death. And then now, the Gods even took away the only thing he had left, the orphanage, his home for the past decade. Why must fate be so cruel to him? What could have he possibly done in his previous that he is met with such misfortune in this lifetime?  _

_ A deafening roar shook him out of his thoughts. The roar had shook him to his core, the sound vibrating deep within his bones. Eyes snapping up to meet the source of the sound, Donghyuck felt his mouth grow slack.  _

_ There, climbing on the burning framework of his home was a monsterous sight to see. The serpent-like monster wrapped its enormous body around the last standing pillar of the building, spitting burning fire from its mouth, causing even more damage with each breath. Its amber eyes gleamed and glowed vibrantly. The green frills covering its neck rattled each time that the monster opened its mouth. _

_ For the second time that day, Donghyuck couldn’t believe what he saw. The monster looked like a dragon, like the ones in the fairytales that the orphanage auntie would read to them before they went to bed. Dragons aren’t real. They were nothing but a fairytale. But as he blinked his eyes once, then twice to clear his vision, the monster was still there. He must have gone crazy. There was no way that what he saw was real.  _

_ “A dragon…?” Donghyuck muttered out loud, his tone filled with disbelief.  _

_ “It’s actually a Drakon, but a dragon is close enough.” A smaller boy beside him said. The boy was a tiny thing, he couldn’t have been any more than a little over five feet. Donghyuck was sure that if they had stood up to their full height, the boy wouldn’t have even reached his chin. He watched as the boy rubbed his hands over his sweaty face, smearing a line of soot across his chin. Then the boy extended his hand out to him, saying, “Come on. We have to get out of here before that thing finds us.” _

_ “What?” He exclaimed. Eyes darting back to the monster, then back to the smaller boy before him, he asked, “Why is it looking for us?” _

_ “Because we’re demigods. Monsters like that live with the life mission to find and kill every single one of us.” Before he could open his mouth in protest and ask what the boy was even talking about, Donghyuck found himself yanked to his feet. “Come on, we don’t have much time before it figures out that we’re here.”  _

_ At the very moment that those words left the boy’s mouth, the monster gave out another ear-piercing roar, its amber eyes staring into the very depth of his souls as it locked in on them. Donghyuck felt a cold shiver run though his body at the eye contact and he hesitated. He squeezed the boy’s hand and ran.  _

_ They ran and ran until their legs ached and their lungs burned, but they didn’t stop, not even for a second. Donghyuck hadn’t had a single clue on where this boy was taking him, but for some odd reason, he trusted him. Donghyuck trusted him with his life. He didn’t know his name but he knew that he could be trusted.  _

_ For a boy his stature, Donghyuck had figured that they wouldn’t make it anywhere far. The boy was tiny and his legs were short. But he was fast. The boy seemed fragile and looked like he couldn’t handle the sprint, but he fared much better than Donghyuck. He hadn’t even broken into a sweat yet, and they had been sprinting full force for the past twenty minutes. While Donghyuck was struggling to breathe in enough air for his lungs, the boy continued running as if it was a stroll in the park. The boy was strong too. Whenever they had to come face to face with a dead end, whether it be a wired fence or alleyway around an abandoned plot, the boy would lift him over or punch through the wooden doors with ease. He didn’t even wince when he had to punch through a brick wall to break through the dead end.  _

_ As they stumbled into the abandoned warehouse, Donghyuck couldn’t hold it in anymore and collapsed to the ground, gasping in lungfuls of air. “Okay, stop. I need a break…” _

_ The boy looked back at him with wide eyes. He raked Donghyuck’s trembling form from head to toe, taking in his raggard appearance. Donghyuck wasn’t sure how he had looked like at the moment but judging from the pitiful gaze that the boy had, he figured that he probably looked like shit.  _

_ “Alright, sure.” The boy nodded as he sat down on the ground beside him. “I guess we can take a little break. We lost the drakon a couple miles back anyways.”  _

_ The boy’s words made his head spin. Once again, none of what he said made any sense to Donghyuck. Words of drakons and demigods repeated itself over and over again in his head. The boys spoke of such mystical things as if they were real. Donghyuck figured that he was going insane because those things couldn’t possibly be real, right? But as he laid there, on the cold ground of some abandoned warehouse next to this mysterious boy after running away from a dragon that spewed fire from its mouth, he wasn’t entirely too sure of what to believe anymore.  _

_ After his breathing had returned back to somewhat of a normal rate, Donghyuck casted his eyes to the boy beside him. He hesitated for a second, not quite sure of how to word his question but it seemed like the boy had seen his struggle and asked for him. “You’re probably wondering if everything that you’ve just experienced right now is real or not, right?” _

_ Donghyuck mutedly nodded his head.  _

_ “I think a part of you had already figured this out, but yeah what you saw was real. The drakon was real. It was very real.” The boy replied. “You’re a demigod, that’s why you could see through the mist?” _

_ He was a what? And he could see through the what?  _

_ “The mortals probably saw the drakon as like a bizarre plane crash that caught on fire. Or whatever ridiculous reason their tiny brains can come up with to explain what happened. They don’t have the ability to see through the mist like we do. The mist helps to separate our world and the mortal world to some extent. Plus mortals have a pretty crazy imaginative mind, I’m sure they’ll find some wack ass reason to explain all the freak accidents that happen to them.”  _

_ “Hold up.” Donghyuck breathed out, his mind reeling from what the boy had just told him. Waving his hands up in the air, requesting the boy to stop for a moment. With a shake of his head, he managed to stutter out, “Wait. Back up. What in the world are you talking about? Nothing that you’re saying is making any sense. Demigods, mortals, drakons, the mist? And first off, what the hell is your name? We should at least be on a first name basis first, before we talk about anything else.”  _

_ The boy flashed him a pearly white smile, his eyes gleaming even in the dark. “Huang Renjun. Son of Ares.” Donghyuck wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him again but he swore that he saw a flame flicker in the boy’s eyes.  _

_ “Son of Ares?” Donghyuck asked, brows rising to his hairline. “Like the greek God of war?” _

_ “Yup.” Renjun replied, a smile gracing his lips as his eyes burned feverishly. “That’s my old man, alright. But my mother is a mere mortal, so that makes me a demigod. Half God, half mortal.”  _

_ “A demigod…” _

_ “You’re one too.” Renjun quipped. _

_ “What?” _

_ “Come on, keep up, would you?” Renjun grumbled. With a shake of his head, he flicked Donghyuck right in the center of his forehead. “How many times do I have to repeat myself for you to get it through your damn head that you’re a freaking demigod?” _

_ For a boy his size, Renjun sure had a lot of power, because that flick hurted like a bitch. Donghyuck was sure that he had a glowing red spot from where Renjun had hit him. Eyes watering, he pouted, trying to rub away the pain. “I can’t be a demigod. My parents were both human.” _

_ “That’s such a lie. You’re a demigod. Trust me, I know one when I see one. Plus, who told you that your parents were mortals?” _

_ “Um, any sane person would?” _

_ “Are you trying to insinuate that I’m mentally ill?” Renjun glared at him, the fire within his eyes burning even brighter. Donghyuck was sure that he could shoot fiery lasers out of them if he wanted too. _

_ “Maybe?” Donghyuck dared to squeak out.  _

_ With a roll of his eyes, the fire within them distinguished as he did so. “You’re a demigod. From the looks of it, your mother was probably a mortal too. Your father is a God though, I can’t tell which one though. You probably wouldn’t either.” _

_ Donghyuck felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest at the mentions of his father, a presence that he had missed greatly even though he didn’t have a single clue about who he was. During the time that he was able to spend with his mother before she passed, she hadn’t mentioned a single thing about his father. She didn’t mention a name or even what he had looked like. She didn’t tell him whether he had gotten any of his father’s features. Did he have the same eyes as his father? Did he laugh like him? Donghyuck wouldn’t know.  _

_ But if his father was a God, like Renjun had claimed he was, then Donghyuck figured that was probably the reason why his mother never told him anything. If she had told him that his father was a God, he surely would have laughed and called her bat shit crazy. He would rather believe anything else she would have told him instead of his father being a greek God.  _

_ “How did you find out your father was Ares?” Donghyuck asked.  _

_ “He claimed me with a burning spear hovering over my head one night. Super random.” Renjun said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was the most normal thing in the entire world. “After a certain amount of time and a certain age, our Godly parents tend to claim their kids. Not always, I’ve met a ton of demigods that have lived their entire life without knowing who their Godly parents are.” _

_ “So, I still won’t know who my father is…?” _

_ “Don’t be so down. It’s a random occurrence.” Renjun told him. The boy tried to give him some comfort by patting his back, but it really just made him sadder. “Who knows, your old man might claim you tonight or something. A lot of Gods tend to do that after the freak drakon accident. It’s like a guilt induced thing.” _

_ “Yeah, maybe… maybe not.” _

_ “Alright, let’s move on with this demigod 101 class shall we?” Renjun commented, giving another hard pat to his back, one that nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. Wincing in response, Donghyuck threw him a wounded look, because it hurt like fucking hell. The boy merely smiled in response, “Sorry.” _

_ “You’re tiny but you can pack a punch, my gosh.” Donghyuck told him as he rubbed his sore shoulder blade. The boy was a force to be reckoned with. He made a mental note not to get on Renjun’s bad side. He couldn’t imagine the wrath that the tiny boy could hold and certainly did not want to find out. He had no desire to.  _

_ “You can thank my old man for that. Being the God of war and all.” Renjun said, throwing yet another blinding smile in his direction. Then he asked, “Oh, I told you my name. What’s yours?” _

_ “Lee Donghyuck.”  _

_ “Alright, Donghyuck, what other questions do you have for me?”  _

_ “I guess you can explain to me why a drakon— is that what you call that dragon?” Renjun nodded, urging him to continue on. “Yeah, why was that thing following us.” _

_ “You’re like what? Sixteen?” Donghyuck nodded. “So, yeah, when demigods grow to be at the age of sixteen, their scent becomes a lot more overwhelming and it begins to attract more monsters. These creatures are like made to sniff us out and kill us. There’s no reason why, they just do. It’s like a demigod’s version of natural selection.” _

_ “Fantastic... just what I need in my very uneventful life.” Donghyuck mumbled, sarcasm dripping from his every word.  _

_ “Oh, that’s great then. Because being a demigod is super, duper exciting. The whole ‘I’m half God but half mortal’ makes life pretty interesting since you kind of have these weird ‘powers’ but you really don’t know how to control them. And then factor in the fact that everyone is out to kill you all the time, it’s great.” _

_ In that moment, Donghyuck took a moment to really look at the boy before him. He was so young, Donghyuck was sure that he wasn’t older than him. Renjun seemed like he was around the same age as him. But Renjun seemed like he had lived an entire lifetime during the span of his childhood, one full of experiences, both good and bad. He appeared so wise, as if he had all the answers in the world in that head of his. As they laid there on the cold concrete ground, neither one of them budging an inch from where they were, Donghyuck couldn’t help but think that the boy was alone just like he was.  _

_ Renjun had stayed there, trying to offer him answers to all of his questions as best as he could. He didn’t rush through any of his explanations, he took his time with each of his replies. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to be anywhere either.  _

_ “Have you been doing this on your own your whole life?” Donghyuck couldn’t help but ask. He felt Renjun’s mood falter and he felt a little guilty that he had even asked in the first place.  _

_ “Yeah, for the most part anyways.” Renjun replied after a moment, appearing to be deep in his thoughts. His dark brown eyes glazed over as he was transported back in them to a memory. Then shrugging his shoulders, he added, “I’ve met some people here and there that were in the same situation as I was, but they never really stuck around for too long. It was just like a passing encounter, nothing more. I mean it’s better that way. It’s better to not grow too attached, so that when you do lose them, it doesn’t hurt as much.”  _

_ He hummed, agreeing with every word that left Renjun’s mouth. It was easier that way, to distance himself from everyone. After losing his mother, Donghyuck was determined to never experience such pain again if he could help it. It was painful losing someone that you’ve grown to love with the fiber of your being. Where their mere existence gave you a reason to be alive and without them, you were nothing speck of matter in an empty void.  _

_ As his eyes found Renjun’s, a warm fluttering feeling blossomed within his chest. And he knew that Renjun must have felt it too as a small smile slowly made its way back onto his lips. His eyes glimmered once more with the fire that Donghyuck had begun to feel so attracted to, like a moth is drawn to the light. And in those amber eyes, Donghyuck found something that he hadn’t been expecting to find again in so long, a home. _

_.  _

_ “I’m hungry and you’re hungry.” Renjun stated as if their growling stomachs weren't enough to describe how food deprived they’ve been. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten something.“Let’s sneak in when the clerk takes his break to smoke out back.” _

_ After the drakon had found them yet again, in some city thousands of miles away from where it had first attacked, Renjun and Donghyuck had been on a constant run. They had found shelter in abandoned warehouses or hidden farms along the way. They didn’t have a single clue where they were, but they kept going, they kept running. Just when they had lost sight of that cursed monster, they were faced with a new one.  _

_ Somewhere along the Mississippi River, a flock of Gorgons ambushed them. Donghyuck hadn’t been prepared for the attack so he all but froze when they snapped at him with their sharp fangs and bleeding red eyes. He was thankful that Renjun hadn’t locked up like that or else the two of them would have been dead by now.  _

_ Renjun had been quick to react, instantly wiping all of those Gorgons out with a flick of his sword. He cutted and sliced through them with ease, not even breaking a sweat. He attacked and killed as if it was second nature to him. Donghyuck had learned later on that it was, because as a demigod, it was kill or be killed, there wasn’t any in between.  _

_ After they had vaporized into nothing but yellow dust, floating away in the summer winds, Renjun walked towards him. With a hand extended out to him, urging him to hold onto, Renjun lifted him off his feet. Then giving his curls a ruffle, Renjun told him, “I think it’s about time for us to find you a weapon. But first thing first, I am starving. And I bet that you are too.”  _

_ That was how he had found himself crouching low to the ground behind some grimmy gas pump with Renjun at his side. This run down gas station was the first sign of civilization in this small town that they had managed to stumble into. The gas pumps were rusted over, barely usable, and the neon ‘open’ sign in the front of the store was flickering in and out. Even with its poor conditions, it was a one that a lot of people frequented by. It had at least one or two customers every fifteen minutes, which was impressive, for it didn’t seem like the gas station had much of anything to offer. But realizing that it was the only place open in the mile radius, Donghyuck had figured it was going to be the best chance that anyone had at trying to get anything.  _

_ Because of its steady flow of people coming in and out, it made it just a tad easier for them to shoplift their meal for the day.  _

_ When Renjun had mentioned his plan to Donghyuck a few days before, when the first claws of hunger began to show itself, Donghyuck had stared at him in disbelief, his eyes bulging. But the more he talked and the more time passed by, the more comfortable Donghyuck had grown on his crazy plan. Honestly it wasn’t all that crazy anymore considering he had battled a hoard of monsters and seeing how they had vaporized on sight when Renjun had cut through them with his sword. After seeing the things that he had seen, shoplifting a gas station was about as normal as they could get.  _

_ They had about two more minutes before the clerk would take his smoke break. That gave them just enough time to do a last run through of their plan.  _

_ “Alright, we get in and head straight for the back where the hot food is kept.” Renjun reminded him. Tugging on the backpack that they had found randomly in some barn they had raided before coming here, he said, “You grab one of each, so it’s not too noticeable, and shove it into the backpack, okay? I’ll sneak around the front desk and grab some necessities.”  _

_ Donghyuck nodded his head, his eyes fixated on the clerk, who was now beginning to move to go out back. “Just grab, don’t think.” _

_ “Correct. Just do, don’t think.”  _

_ Donghyuck kept on repeating those four words in his head over and over again. He blocked all the fears that kept on trying to rise to the surface. He ignored the way his heart was beating like a rabbit in his chest and the way his hands shook from where they laid within his lap. Donghyuck ignored it all. He forced his mind to focus on the four words and how Renjun was counting the seconds until it was time to go.  _

_ Renjun dropped one finger, four seconds left. The clerk had finally left the front, the back of his plaid shirt visible to them. He pulled a lighter from his pocket.  _

_ Then another, three seconds left. The man held the lighter up to the cigarette stick he had in between his lips, lighting it up.  _

_ Another finger down, two seconds left. He reached the back door, pushing it open as he stepped out.  _

_ One second, the door slammed shut right behind him.  _

_ Without a moment of hesitation, Renjun jumped to his feet and ran towards the mini mart, Donghyuck hot on his heels. They burst through the door, and split ways. Thankfully there weren’t any other customers in the store so they didn’t have to be quite as sneaky as they thought they would have needed to be. The mini mart didn’t even have any cameras either, another bonus plus.  _

_ He headed back towards the grills and immediately began grabbing one of everything, shoving it into his backpack after he boxed them all up. In less than a minute, he had the backpack stuffed with hot dogs, pretzels, and nachos. His mouth watered as their delicious scent wavered around him, his stomach growling too. He finished zipping up the backpack and swung it over his shoulder.  _

_ He made eye contact with Renjun and had just finished gathering all of the items that he was in charge of too. Renjun made a motion towards the exit right as the back door creaked open. The sound of metal boots hitting the tiled floor made his heart jump into his throat. Hurriedly, both him and Renjun made a mad dash for the door. They barely slipped out and hid outside the building as the clerk sat down behind the register again. _

_ As they sat there, trying to catch their breaths and calm their racing hearts, Donghyuck spared a glance at his partner in crime. When he did, it took almost all of him to not laugh out and get them caught. _

_ Renjun eyes twinkled and he pressed his lips together, trying to hold himself back from laughing as well. Pushing a finger to his lips, Renjun whispered, "Shush! Don't get us caught, idiot." _

_ "Well, we better get out of here soon then." Donghyuck replied back, the corners of his lips betraying him as they curled upwards. "Because I don't I can hold it back any longer." _

_ "You're honestly ridiculous. For a demigod, you lack a lot of sleath." _

_ "I'm still trying to get the ropes of this, alright?" Donghyuck huffed out loud once they've moved a great distance away from the dingy gas station. "So, give me a break, will you?" _

_ "Alright, alright." Renjun said, throwing his head back in laughter. "I'll cut you some slack, you rookie demigod." _

_ "That would be greatly appreciated." _

_ "Alright, enough chit chatting. We have some hot dogs and nachos to devour before they get cold." _

_. _

_ His favorite thing about traveling with Renjun were the nights they spent in the forest with their backs against the damp grass, staring at the stars above their heads. He didn't know a single thing about stars, but Renjun knew everything about them. The boy would point out every constellation there was in the night sky and tell stories about every single one of them. He didn't understand half the things that Renjun was telling him but he loved the excitement that Renjun had whenever he talked about them. Moments like these were Donghyuck's favorite. _

_ "And then if you look over there, you'll see Polaris, it's the brightest star." Renjun had pointed out him, his hands spread out in the air as if he was trying to catch the stars himself. "It's also known as the North Star." _

_ Donghyuck followed the direction of his finger, eyes searching for the star that Renjun was speaking of. Like the boy had mentioned, it was the brightest star in the night sky, so it wasn't all that hard to find. _

_ "That's the end of the Little Dipper, it's the handle." Renjun continued, before his fingers started to trace an imaginary finger to the next star. "And then you have Kochab, which is connected to Pherkab, to make the rest of the dipper." _

_ Suddenly the stars that once were nothing but a scattered mess across the night sky became clear to him. He could finally see the constellations that Renjun was speaking about. After he could pick out the Little Dipper with his own eyes, the Big Dipper wasn't all that much harder to find. _

_ Directly parallel to the North Star, he saw another star, one that was called Dubhe, Renjun had told him. Dubhe was then connected to Merak to make the rest of the Big Dipper. It was beautiful. _

_ "Those are like classics." Renjun told him before he moved onto another constellation in the vast night sky. "I'll show you another one. I think that you'll like this one a lot." _

_ "How are you so sure about that? I might hate it for all you know." Donghyuck teased. But despite not knowing what Renjun was going to show him next all, Donghyuck had already known within his heart that it was going to be his favorite. If Renjun had said that he was going to like it, then Donghyuck was going to like it because it was Renjun. And everything that concerned Renjun, he liked. _

_ He watched as Renjun moved his fingers across the sky once more. His brows knitted together in confusion when the boy didn't say much and continued to trace imaginary lines. It looked like he was trying to draw two stick figures holding their hands. _

_ Renjun merely laughed at him when he said that out loud, saying, "Don't be ridiculous, Hyuck. They're not just stick figures trying to hold each other's hands." _

_ "Well, I'm just telling you what I'm seeing. It looks like two stick figures holding hands." _

_ "They're Gemini, stupid. It's the Gemini constellation, you know the Twins? You, of all people, should know what I'm talking about." _

_ Donghyuck gasped as he looked back at the stars that Renjun was trying to connect together. He raised his finger up and followed along the lines that Renjun had drawn. True to his words, the lines that he had followed showed two figures connected together by their hands, twins, just like the Gemini. _

_ "I didn't know that the Gemini was also a constellation." Donghyuck gasped, sitting up straight. He reached out and traced the stars that formed the constellation in awe. _

_ "You don't know about a lot of things, Donghyuck." Renjun replied, a small smile gracing his lips. _

_. _

_ Donghyuck had found out who his godly parent was one night when they had ended up finding shelter in some random abandoned tree house in the middle of the forest.  _

_ The ladder up to the treehouse was broken, missing some of its rungs. Endless amounts of vines and weeds crawled around it, coloring it a deep shade of green. Despite it being fairly late into the afternoon, nearing the evening, there was a patch of sunlight casted over it. The dark treehouse glowed beneath the rays of the sun.  _

_ The second he stepped foot inside the treehouse, a burning harp appeared above his head. He hadn’t had a single clue what that had meant, like who exactly was his godly parent. The only thing he knew was that he was finally claimed. His godly father had claimed him. The father he had never known had finally acknowledged him. The fire that flowed through his veins warmed his entire body up.  _

_ “Kind of figured you would be a child of Apollo.” Renjun hummed. “You practically embody the sun with that tan skin of yours and hyperactive personality.”  _

_ Donghyuck felt a smile make its way to his lips as the warmth within his chest grew and grew. He couldn't remember a time that had felt this happy. It had been so long, he knew that for sure. His shoulders relaxed themselves and he allowed himself to bask underneath the evening sun. He took a deep breath and relished in the calmness of the forest entered into him. His nose crinkled as he took in the fresh scent of grass and flowers.  _

_ Opening his eyes, he looked at Renjun, asking, "When did you find out about who your father was?" _

_ "Me?" Renjun questioned. He cleared some of the dried leaves on the floor and sat down. As he took out his sword to clean it, he said, "I found out who he was when we met." _

_ "Wait, you've met your father? Like face to face?" Donghyuck gaped. _

_ Based on everything that Renjun had been telling him for the past couple of weeks, he had learned that the Gods don't really interfere with the lives of their children all that much. They didn't even bother to claim their children most of the time, much less meet them in person. _

_ Renjun nodded, eyes still focused on cleaning his sword. "Yeah, after my first fight with a minotaur and killed it, my old man appeared before me and claimed him as his own. Let me tell you, that was a wild experience." He blew out a low whistle, shaking his head. "I didn't believe him at first, you know? I thought he was some wack ass man trying to pull a stupid prank on me." _

_ "What was he like?" _

_ "He's everything bold and fiery. Honestly thinking back, I must have looked like an ant standing next to him that day. He was huge, tall as a mountain, and ridiculously buff. His biceps were the size of my head, I swear." Renjun laughed, his shoulders shaking. "He was a hardcore smoker too. During the time that we spent together, I think my old man went through like three packs in an hour. Crazy." _

_ "That can not be good for his health..." _

_ "He's a God, he's not going to die from smoking a hundred packs a day. They're immortal. They don't die, not really anyways. As long as the Western Civilization is strong, the Gods will continue to live and move with it." _

_ He kept quiet for a little bit, letting his mind dwell on this new found piece of information. He hadn't known that the Gods gained their strength from the Western Civilization. But it made sense. They had to gain their powers from somewhere right? As he thought about this, another question popped up in his head. _

_ Twirling his thumbs in a circle, Donghyuck bit down on his lips, gnawing at them. "Do you think...," he began softly, "that I'll be able to meet my father one day?" _

_. _

_ The closest that he had gotten to meeting his father was meeting Artemis. Artemis was the Goddess of the moon and hunt. She was Apollo's sister, his father's twin. _

_ They had been traveling in the forest again, wandering aimlessly with no real destination in mind. They just walked until their legs would ache and then they would rest, only to wake up and repeat it all over again. They had found out that staying far away from the city meant there were less monsters to cross paths with. So they stuck to the deep forests and endless wheat fields of the South. _

_ But with traveling in the wild, while it had gotten rid of most of the monsters, they had faced another problem. Crossing into nature terrortities like this meant that they had to deal with undomesticated, wild animals like the current wild boars that were chasing them through the forest at the very moment. _

_ "You would think that being a child of Ares would make these boars stop chasing us." Donghyuck huffed out breathlessly, his legs beginning to feel sluggish from how long they've been sprinting away from the crazed animals. "Isn't the boar supposed to be like your father's sacred animal?" _

_ "It is." Renjun answered as he narrowly missed tripping over a fallen down tree branch. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the wild boars were still hot on their heels, not showing any signs of giving up in the pursuit. Groaning, he whipped his head back around and focused on running faster. "Seriously, why are they still chasing us? Can't they tell who my old man is?" _

_ "I don't think they have telepathic powers, Renjun..."  _

_ "Well they freaking should!" _

_ At Renjun's loud shout, the wild boars behind sensed the increase in aggression and snorted loudly. Then surged forward, closing the distance in between until their horns were gazing at the back of Renjun's leg. _

_ "Oh, fuck." Renjun exclaimed as he felt another horn brush up against his leg. Through labored breaths, he said, "We should split." _

_ "Are you insane?" Donghyuck shouted in response, eyes growing wide. "You should know by now that splitting up in any dire situation is never a good idea, like ever." _

_ "What other plan or choice do we have? Come on, you're a son of Apollo. Isn't your dad like super smart? He's the God of Medicine too." _

_ Ignoring Renjun's words, Donghyuck turned his head back to the front and he thought hard about what they could do. All around them were trees upon trees, and they only got deeper the further they ran. He hadn't seen a single clear pathway out or any streams for them to cross over. There wasn't really anywhere for them to go. _

_ When he was about to give up on hope and Donghyuck spotted a small clearing to his left. There he found a glowing, silver bow laid out on the ground. Without a second thought, he headed towards it, sprinting at full speed. _

_ He heard Renjun yell after him, "Hyuck, what the hell? What happened to not splitting up?" _

_ His lungs burned as he pushed his legs to move faster. When he had split from Renjun, a few of the wild boars had sensed his decision and followed right after him. They whined and snorted at him but he tried not to think about it too much. He only focused on the sound of his heavy breathing and the bow on the ground before him. Pumping more power into his legs, he surged forward and grabbed the bow. As he flew down to the ground, his back skidding across the ground, he loaded the bow with three bows and shot it. _

_ He could only pray that the arrows would follow the path that he had wanted or else he would be nothing but the boar's meal for the day. _

_ Although he didn't want to, he peeked one eye open and watched the trajectory of his arrows. He stopped breathing altogether as he watched the feathers at the ends of the arrows flutter through the air. His heart drummed thunderously in his ears as the arrows got closer and closer to the wild boars until they embedded themselves deeply into the skin of those animals. _

_ Mouth dropping a jar, Donghyuck didn't have time to dwell on his great success as the remaining boars were still chasing Renjun. Grabbing another set of arrows on the quiver, he pulled them against the bow, and released them. He let out a loud shout, fist pumping into the air when they too struck the wild boars down dead. From the other side of the forest, Renjun waved his hands wildly up in the air, screaming at the top of his lungs. _

_ Still basking in the adrenaline induced victory, Donghyuck hadn't noticed that a new presence had appeared behind him. _

_ "That's quite an impressive shot." The cool voice spoke out, sending a tiny shiver down his spine. "You truly are my brother's child." _

_ The adrenaline rush that consumed his entire body earlier had faded and the energy that he once thought that he had was zapped right from him. The boy within his grasp fell to the ground as he stared at the beautiful lady before him. _

_ She had long, brown hair braided to the side and she wore the clothes of a hunter. A fur pellet was draped over her shoulders to keep her warm with the increasingly cooler temperatures as the seasons transitioned from autumn to winter. Although she had the aura of a hunter, her hands were free of calluses and were soft to the touch as she reached out for him. _

_ Once she had helped him up to his feet, she reached out for the fallen bow and quiver. Strapping it behind her, she smiled, her eyes glowing like the full moon on an autumn's night. "No one has ever dared touch my bow before. And if they had, they certainly have never been able to shoot an arrow as beautifully as you did." _

_ "Beginner's luck?" Donghyuck whispered. He could feel the warm spread across his cheeks as the goddess praised him. "That was my first time using a bow." _

_ "Then, you are a natural. Just like your father." Artemis smiled. Then motioning for him to follow, she said, "Come on. Let me show you something." _

_ Donghyuck shared a confused look with Renjun but nevertheless, he followed the goddess deeper into the forest, Renjun right behind him. _

_ As they passed through a row of bushes, Donghyuck stared wide-eyed at the sight in front of him. There in the middle of the forest was a small meadow, home to a group of hunters and judging from the similar clothes that they wore to the goddess, he figured that they were the Goddess' ladies. _

_ In the center was a small burning fire where a couple of the ladies gathered around it, stirring something in the pot. _

_ Artemis walked up to them and dropped the wild boars that he had killed to the ground. Then she called for a few other ladies to come out from their tents to help prepare the meal. In no time, the meadow was bustling with work as everyone got to their feet and followed the orders of the Goddess. _

_ "Now, don't just stand there child, come on." Artemis called out. She waved them over before she entered into a tent. _

_ Even though the Goddess had told them to enter into the tent with her, the ladies in the meadow all glared them down with piercing stares as they walked past them. If looks could kill, Donghyuck was sure that he was dead the moment he even stepped into the area. _

_ Once they reached the tent and were out of earshot of everyone, Renjun leaned in and whispered, "The ladies of Artemis took an oath to remain abstinent for the rest of their lives when they join her as a huntress. That's why they hate men." _

_ "Hate is a strong word, son of Ares." Artemis said as they entered in. Her words made Renjun shut his mouth immediately. The tips of his ears began to burn red. "But since Ares is your father, it would make sense that you would speak the same way he would. So aggressive." _

_ "I'm sorry..." Renjun managed to mumble out, eyes casted downwards. _

_ The Goddess only laughed in response. Then moving her attention over to him, she said, "How long have you been traveling like this on your own, Donghyuck?" _

_ He was shocked to hear his name fall so easily from her lips for he hadn't even told her his name. But he figured that being a powerful Goddess as she was, she surely had her own method of figuring out his name. _

_ "It's been a while now, maybe two years?" Donghyuck replied as he looked over to Renjun for confirmation. The boy beside him nodded. _

_ "And you've traveled this whole time without any weapon to defend yourself?" _

_ Donghyuck nodded his head once more. "Yeah. I've never really had the need to have a weapon of my own. Plus, Renjun's sword is more than effective in killing any monsters that we encounter." _

_ "As a demigod and as a child of Apollo, you should never go anywhere without a weapon. Also, you can't always rely on Renjun to save you, Donghyuck. What happens when one day, Renjun isn't there to save you like he usually does? What will you do then?" _

_ It wasn't like he hadn't thought of it. Donghyuck simply just didn't want to think that far in advance. He didn't want to think about being separated from Renjun or losing him. Donghyuck couldn't lose him. _

_ "We've been searching for a weapon for him since a couple weeks ago when he was finally claimed." Renjun said. _

_ "You're almost eighteen, aren't you, child? And my brother only just now claimed you?" _

_ "Yes." _

_ The thing that the Goddess did next stunned him. Artemis blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. With a huff, she said, "That brother of mine is so idiotic. I can not believe that we're even related, much less twins." Then taking his hands into her own, she added, "I apologize for his terrible manners. My brother is a bit of a player, which makes him a terrible father. I know us Gods don't have a great desire to claim most of our kids, but Apollo has so many that he just lets them roam like lost sheeps. _

_ "Since my brother can't get his act together, then I should at least be a good aunt to you, right?" She gave his hands a gentle squeeze as she stared into his eyes. _

_ As he sat there, he felt himself getting lost in those bright irises. They made him feel warm and comforted. The anxiousness that he had once felt disappeared until a familiar warmth filled his entire body. _

_ "Even though it was the first time that you've held a bow and arrow, you are destined to hold it until the end of time, child. Don't just think that because you are a child of Apollo that you must be a skilled archer. Children of Apollo don't always become great archers. Being a great archer takes much more than that. You need to have a burning fire within you that burns slow and steady. It must keep your mind and heart calm so that it'll lead you to shoot the arrow to where you want it to go. And you, my dear, you have that. I can see it within your eyes." _

_ "That is why, I think that it's time for my bow and arrow to find a new owner." _

_ Donghyuck ripped his hands out from the Goddess's grasp and rubbed the tears that he hadn't known were forming at the corners of his eyes before exclaiming, "I can't! I'm not worthy of it." _

_ "Who are you to determine whether you are worthy of my bow and arrow or not?" Artemis questioned, a single eyebrow raising up. _

_ His body tensed up as she said this. Dread flowed through his wings for he was afraid that he might have offended the Goddess with his words. He had only meant that he didn't deserve a weapon as special as her own. He didn't mean it anyway else. There wasn't any way he could hold the Goddess's bow for a second time. _

_ She spared him another glance before she reached behind and took ahold of her sacred weapon. Then she pushed it into his limp hands and smiled, "This bow of mine would be honored to be used by a skilled archer as you are, Donghyuck." _

_. _

_ Ever since Artemis had gifted him her bow and arrow, the battles that they had faced weren’t anything for them to be afraid of anymore. With Donghyuck's archery skills combined with Renjun's swordsmanship, no monster was too hard for them to take down together. Despite the Goddess's heed about him needing to learn to defend for himself without the help of Renjun, Donghyuck never felt the need to do so because Renjun was always by his side. _

_ But fate didn't have any plans in mind for them. Maybe it was because he had gone against the words of a Goddess that fate decided to fool with him like this. _

_ After traveling in the wild for so long, they got tired of the constant trees and little to no human interaction. So Renjun had suggested that they head back to the city. They've been on the run for so long now, he said that it was time that they went back. _

_ Donghyuck wasn't anyone to deny Renjun of what he wanted so they changed their route and decided to head to the nearest city. _

_ It had been a stupid idea, Donghyuck would later find out. _

_ The moment they had crossed the city borders, they had a group empousai hot on their tails. The half vampires and half horse ladies attacked them mercilessly. They attacked them when they had their guard down and were tired from the long journey they had taken to get there. They would have been able to take those disgusting creatures down if they had been in better shape, but they weren't. _

_ Within a couple of minutes, the empousai had managed to rip Renjun apart with their sharp fangs until he was sprawled across the ground, bleeding profusely from his neck. _

_ Donghyuck had his bow loaded up, ready to fire at those cursed creatures when Renjun's bone crushing scream ripped through the air. When he had looked over at the boy and found him on the brink of death, he immediately rushed over to him. The empousai laughed at him, sneering at him before they finally left for the game that they had wanted to play was over and they had won. _

_ "Oh, Renjun...," Donghyuck cradled Renjun's face, his hand trembling as his fingers brushed away his hair. "Renjun?" _

_ "...Yeah?" The boy whispered back, voice barely audible. With eyes already half closed and the color draining from his face as fast as the blood that was leaving his body, he said, "I'm here..." _

_ "Stay with me, okay?" Donghyuck told him, clutching him tightly. As he felt the warmth of Renjun's blood spill onto his arms, he gasped and immediately began applying pressure to deep bite on the side of Renjun's neck. "Oh, Gods..." _

_ "... It's only a tiny cut, Hyuck..." He smiled weakly at him. Even when he was dying, Renjun was still cracking jokes and trying to make him laugh. _

_ "Shut up..." _

_ Renjun winced when he tried to laugh in response. His face only grew paler with each passing second and his skin was starting to become cold. He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out as his eyes started to grow heavy. _

_ Alarmed, Donghyuck called out to him again, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Hey, Renjun. Come on, stay with me. Don't close your eyes." _

_ "...'m tired, Hyuck..." _

_ "No, no." He cried out, his vision blurring over as he started to apply even more pressure to the bite. Shaking Renjun's pilant body, he shouted, "Ya! Huang Renjun! Don't you fucking dare close your eyes on me! Do you hear me asshole?" _

_ "Always... so loud..." _

_ "Exactly! Listen to my voice, Renjun. Please." _

_ "Yell... at me... later... Hyuck." The boy whispered, his lips turning blue and his eyes closing. _

_ "Oh, no you don't, Renjun!" Donghyuck shook his body again, praying that he would open his eyes. He prayed that he could see those fiery eyes of his one more time. "Renjun! Open your damn eyes!" _

_ He continued to yell and scream at Renjun until his voice was hoarse. He could barely make out the boy's face anymore as his vision clouded over. He lost sight of Renjun's face as he buried his face into his chest. And when he did, Donghyuck could only sob even louder when he heard nothing. _

_ He heard absolutely nothing. _

_ He didn't hear the comforting beat of Renjun's heart, one that he had gotten so accustomed to listening to every night when they would fall asleep. He didn't feel the rhythmic beat that made him feel at ease when he was lost in the world. _

_ Donghyuck heard nothing. _

_ It felt like all the air within his lungs was sucked out of him. It became so hard to breath as he lifted his head up from Renjun's chest and looked at his sleeping face. His heart shattered when he realized that Renjun was never going to wake up. Renjun was going to sleep, forever. _

_ "No...," he refused to believe it. He wouldn't believe it. "No. No." _

_ "There's no point in denying the truth when it's right in front of you." A cold voice spoke up. _

_ Donghyuck distinctly heard the sound of hard footsteps approaching him but he didn't care. He didn't care to know who this newcomer was. The only thing that he cared about was the boy that was in his embrace, growing colder. Sensing the cold that was slowly making its way into his own body, Donghyuck pulled Renjun even closer to him. _

_ "He is dead, young demigod. The boy that you wish you have one more moment with is no more. It is time." _

_ "No. It's not time yet!" Donghyuck snapped his head up and screamed at the stranger. Shaking his head furiously, he tightened his whole on Renjun. "He is not. He's not..." _

_ "He is dead. No matter what you say or do, will the boy come back." _

_ Donghyuck shook his head once more. "No, he will come back." _

_ "His soul has already moved on, child. There is no going back." _

_ "Fine. Then let me exchange my soul for his." Donghyuck bit out, eyes glowering at the man towering over him. The pain that he once felt was replaced by rage. He was blinded by it as he glared at the stranger dressed in all black. "One soul for another." _

_ The stranger cloaked in darkness had the audacity to break out in laughter after his words rung out into the night. The fucking man laughed at him. _

_ The anger that he felt increased tenfold until he saw red. "Isn't that what you're here for? You're here to collect his soul, aren't you? Well fucking collect mine instead. Take mine and give him his soul back." _

_ "Ah, young love. You children make such reckless decisions without much thought and little to no fear. I envy that. I admire that." _

_ "Then take my soul." Donghyuck ground out through clench teeth, eyes ablaze. "Take mine." _

_ "I surely won't turn down anyone who's so willing to give up their soul like this." The stranger laughed again. It cut through the night like a whip. _

_ "My soul, for his." Donghyuck repeated himself. "Do you promise this?" _

_ "You have my word, young demigod. Your soul in exchange for his." _

_ "Okay." He sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "Okay." _

_ With a flick of his wrist, the stranger made a scroll appear out of thin air. Unfolding it, he then magically made a fountain pen materialize into Donghyuck's open hand. "Sign it and we have a deal." _

_ Not sparing the contents of the contract a thought, he swiftly signed his name at the bottom of it. Handling it back to the stranger, he looked back down at Renjun. He gingerly brushed away the strands in his face and whispered, "Everything will be okay." As he pulled his arms out from under the boy's body, Donghyuck placed a soft kiss on his temple. _

_ Standing up to his full height, he nodded at the stranger. "Okay. I'm ready. Take my soul so that he can have his back." _

_ "Don't mind if I do." The stranger smiled sinisterly, one that sent chills down his spine. Donghyuck had an inkling that he was going to regret this but if it meant that Renjun would live again, then it didn't matter. _

_ He remembered hearing a series of latin phrases being chanted into the air before the pain crept up on him. It started in his legs before it traveled to his gut and then his heart. Never in his life had he experienced something so painful before. The pain that he had felt when Renjun died was nothing compared to the pain that he felt right now. Black spots began to dance across his vision as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his head. It felt like his entire body was on fire, even the air that he breathed in burned. _

_ As fast as the pain had come to him, it disappeared just as fast. The fire that was boiling in his body was immediately replaced by a cold, empty feeling. When he took in a lungful of air, he nearly choked. His eyes watered, brimming at the corners, threatening to spill again. _

_ "Well, it's a pleasure doing business with you, young demigod." _

_ Upon hearing these words, Donghyuck gasped. He crawled over to where he had left Renjun and scrambled to find a pulse on the boy. He checked the pulse point on the side of his neck, where the blood had dried and caked over. Nothing. Then he moved to the pulse point at his bicep. Once again, he found nothing. _

_ Renjun's heartbeat was nonexistent. _

_ "What... I don't understand..." He whispered. He moved his hands over, determined in finding Renjun's pulse. "Where is it?" _

_ His hands shook so bad that he had trouble even pressing his fingers to the skin to even count for a pulse. Aggravated with no one but himself, he threw his head back and screamed. "Why can't I find it?" _

_ "Oh, there's no point in trying to find it." The stranger spoke up, his tone calm. "Because you won't find one?" _

_ "What do you mean?" _

_ "Rookie mistake, young demigod." He crackled. "Should have made me swear on the River Styx. But you didn't, so there wasn't any need for me to keep my end of the deal. So, thank you for the extra soul." _

_ "You... fucking bastard." _

_ "Goodbye now." _

_ Donghyuck lunged forward to catch the man before he could get away but he was far too weak, now that his soul was ripped from him, so he didn't make it in time. The man had vanished before he could do anything. _

_ He slammed his fist against the ground, not caring about how his knuckles busted open from the impact. He rammed it into the ground over and over again. He kept doing this until he was too tired to sit upright. _

_ Tears now freely flowing from his eyes, he slumped against Renjun's body and cried. _

_ He wasn't sure how long he had laid there, over Renjun's cold body, bawling his eyes out. He didn't really care. He didn't care about anything anymore. What was the point in caring when Renjun was still dead and he wasn't able to save him. He had tried, but failed. Now, he was cursed and there was no way he could pass into the Underworld to be where Renjun's soul had gone to. He was going to be alone, even in his afterlife. _

_ So when the empousai had made their ways back to where he was, bloodthirsty for another meal, he didn't bother to put up another fight. He didn't have the energy to do so anyways. _


	5. Five

“I tried to find him, you know?” Donghyuck whispered, a sad smile on his lips. He leaned closer into his chest as he said, "I searched every place that I could when I made it to the Underworld. But it was pointless. Renjun had already passed the gates. And without a soul, I couldn't pass through to find him there."

Mark felt like Donghyuck had more to say so he continued to keep quiet. He settled for threading his fingers through Donghyuck's curls, trying to offer as much comfort as he could to the younger boy.

"So, I gave up. As much as it hurted me to give up, I had to because in my heart, I knew that Renjun had moved on to a better life than the one we were living. It was great what we had. I didn't regret, not even for a second, the life that I had with him. I didn't even regret it when I tried to exchange my soul for his."

"What did you do then?" Mark asked, his voice soft.

"I've been wandering around aimlessly. Just constantly moving and moving, no real end point in mind. There wasn't any place that I wanted to go to or anyone for me to go to. I've just wandered, 'living' without a purpose." Donghyuck replied. But then ever so slowly, the sad smile he had on his lips turned fuller and brighter. Glancing up at Mark, honey brown eyes sparkling, he said, "Then I met you and everything changed." 

The smile that graced his lips was so contagious and Mark couldn't help but mirror it. He pulled Donghyuck in and wrapped his arms tighter around him. Resting his chin on the top of his head, he mumbled into Donghyuck’s hair, “I’m glad that our paths crossed.” 

“I know.” 

“If there’s anything that I am certain about in this world,” he continued, “it is meeting you.” 

Mark smiled as he looked down at their intertwined hands. He was glad that he followed Donghyuck into the pit of Tartarus. And he was also glad that he had Donghyuck beside him to give him the strength to travel through Tartarus as they did. Donghyuck's presence had kept him grounded and kept him from going insane. Donghyuck's warm and comforting energy was enough to keep his head leveled.

They had begun to move again after he felt like Donghyuck had healed up enough for them to make the final stretch towards their desired destination, the Doors of Hades.

He had figured that they would have had much longer to go before they would reach the Doors of Hades. So when the grand double doors came into view, his breath caught in his throat.

"I'm assuming that that's the Doors of Hades...," Donghyuck asked him tentatively, not believing what he saw either.

The Doors of Hades blended in seamlessly with the darkness. He hadn't been looking hard enough, he surely would have missed it. The doors before them were as tall as the Empire State Building, formed by obsidian and black diamonds. It was chillingly gorgeous, fitting to be a property owned by Hades himself. And then almost invisible to the eye, Mark saw that specks of gold were woven into the doors. The gold was woven into the doors in the forms of intricate swirls that formed exquisite design and patterns.

"I would have never thought to find something so beautiful in a place like this." Donghyuck muttered out as he too stared at the double doors in awe.

They had been so caught up in the beauty of it all that they almost didn't notice the two guards stationed at the doors. Mark cursed under his breath for he should have seen this coming. There was no way that the Doors of Hades would be left unguarded for any reason. A small part of him had hoped that no one would think to put guards in front of the doors for it was Tartarus. There was barely anyone to trespass and try to enter into the Palace of Hades by this route. At least no one in their right mind would. There were so many ways to reach the Palace without having to cross through Tartarus first.

"How are we going to get past them?"

Mark looked over to Donghyuck and took in his pale face. He saw the way the boy's eyes shook with fear. As he took Donghyuck's face in his hands, he could feel the way that he was trembling under his touch. Honestly, Mark wasn't doing any much better either.

The wounds and injuries that they had gotten from the arias had healed but not one hundred percent. They were decent enough to travel but they weren't in any condition to fight again. They certainly did not have the energy nor strength to take on the guards of the Doors of Hades.

The guards that had been assigned the position to protect the doors and prevent any trespassers from crossing were giant cyclops. The giant cyclops stood like stone statues, one on each side of the door. Within those hands was a double headed spear covered in dried blood of their previous victims. It would take a miracle to defeat them. And at this point, Mark was sure that they've used up their fair share of miracles in this lifetime and the next.

With that in mind, they were really only left with one option, and that was to create a distraction long enough for them to get past the giant cyclops and enter the doors. The plan was so much easier than done though, Mark knew that. He knew that there wasn't any way for them to distract them without setting the guards off. They would have to fight regardless, he could only hope that they could manage a way to at least lessen the battle that would occur.

Brushing a curly lock of hair behind Donghyuck's ear, he told him of his plan. "We're going to try to distract them as much as we can. A full on battle is definitely not in our favor right now with our state. But a battle is inevitable too, it's going to happen the moment we approach them. The only thing that we can do is buy time."

"Okay, so we create a distraction." Donghyuck nodded. "But how are we going to pass through the actual doors itself? There's no way that it's unlocked."

"You're right, they're locked." Mark replied. He pointed to the belt on the right guard's hip, where a ring of keys hung. "We'll need to get that to get through the doors."

"You have got to be kidding me." Donghyuck slumped into his side in defeat as he followed the direction of where his finger was pointing. "How the hell are we going to distract them and get the keys at the same time? Distracting them long enough for us to reach the door is already hard enough. Doing that and trying to steal the keys too? That's like next to impossible, Mark."

"Yeah, but it's not impossible. It's more improbable."

"Okay, now is not exactly the time to confuse me with your great language skills, Mark Lee."

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth. It's unlikely but not impossible."

"Is there any other way to enter the doors without the keys?" Donghyuck asked him, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes.

Mark swallowed thickly. His heart hammered in his chest, increasing in speed the longer that he stared into Donghyuck's eyes. As he parted his mouth to answer, he could feel his heartbeat drumming in his ears. "There is another way that one can pass through the Doors of Hades without the master key."

The glimmer in Donghyuck's eyes intensified as he exclaimed, "How?"

"Another way for one to pass is if they have the touch of King of the Dead. Like in their blood running through their veins. That is the only way for one to pass without needing the master key. Of course, Persephone is an exception because they're married. Persephone also has a master key."

"Well, that doesn't do us any good, does it?" Donghyuck pouted.

"Yeah..." he breathed out, heart still beating rapidly.

Donghyuck was about to say something else when a booming voice called out to them, "There's no point in heading, young demigods. Your stench is so strong that we can smell you from here!"

"Oh, fuck." Mark whispered, squeezing Donghyuck's hand in the process. "I haven't even thought up a plan on how we're going to distract them yet..."

"We'll just have to wing it then."

"This isn't really a situation where we should just wing it."

"It's not like we have much of an option now, do we?"

As much as he hated it, Donghyuck was right. They had been caught and they needed to get past those doors. There wasn't anything else they could do anymore. They would just have to brace themselves and deal with the problem face on, even if their problem were two giant cyclops that could plummet them six feet under in seconds.

Although he was afraid, oh so afraid, Mark stood up in front of Donghyuck protectively. He tightened his grip on Donghyuck's hand as his other hand reached for his sword. Although the guards hadn't made any move to kill them yet, Mark knew that they could attack without a second's notice. If Mark was unprepared and he allowed the guards to wipe them out, they would take that chance in a heartbeat. So he had to be prepared for both his and Donghyuck's sake.

"You seem a little lost, young demigods." The left guard laughed, his deep baritone voice shaking the very ground that they stood on.

Behind him, Donghyuck stated, "We aren't lost. We're right where we need to be."

"Well, aren't you a bold child, son of Apollo? You've definitely gotten your spunk from your Godly father, alright."

Mark felt Donghyuck tense up at the guard's words. Feeling the boy’s fear, Mark stepped forward so that he could hide Donghyuck’s entire body behind him. He commanded the attention of the guards to turn to him. “We need to cross through the Doors of Hades,” he managed to grit out through clenched teeth.

The guards laughed at them once again. They held their stomach and laughed heartily until tears began to escape from the corner of their eyes. They laughed at him like he had just told them the funniest joke in the world. 

Eyes narrowing, Mark felt the need to repeat himself. Although he really wasn’t in any condition to wage a battle with the giant cyclops, their actions belittled him. And that irked him to no end. “We are going to cross through the Doors of Hades.”

“And what makes you think that we’ll let you pass through, young demigod?” This time it was the right guard that spoke up. His single eye blinked once, then twice, challenging him to say something back. 

And Mark was never really to back down from a fight. It was his nature not to surrender, it ran through his  _ blood.  _ “We will pass.” 

“We are chosen to guard the Doors of Hades for a reason. And we don’t take such a task lightly.” The guard growled at him. He watched as the guard struck his spear against the ground, nearly making him fall from the impact. 

He wobbled on his legs for a few seconds before he was able to steady himself, thanks to the help of Donghyuck holding onto the back of his tattered shirt. 

“We haven’t allowed a single soul to pass in the last century, and we won’t let two puny demigods ruin our streak.” The left guard added with a huff. Then pointing at the master key that hung from his belt loop, he said, “Much blood will be shed before you can even think about touching this key. We will make sure of it.”

And make sure of it, they did. 

Before Mark’s mind could comprehend their words, they had already sprung forward with a deafening roar, their spears directed at him. He barely had time to dodge their weapons and pull Donghyuck out of harm’s way. He swung his sword up to block their hits, but he struggled greatly against the heavy weight of both of their spears combined. It was even harder to block them as he was fighting with only one arm, making his stance a lot weaker. He wasn’t as free to fight since he had to make sure to remain connected with Donghyuck at all times or else Tartarus would kill the boy. 

“It’s hard to fight with only one hand, isn’t it?” The right guard sneered at him as he tried to block another one of their hits. The spear sliced through the wind right next to his ear, he had narrowly missed it. The action had sent the adrenaline rushing through his veins as his breath continued to grow shorter with each swing.

“Mark, you have to let go.” Donghyuck cried out, tugging him back as the guard swung at him again. “You can’t fight with one hand, stupid. It ruins your whole balance.”

“I’m fine.” Mark said as he tried to land a hit on the guards, but he had swung his sword too short and missed. Biting the insides of his cheeks, Mark swallowed the frustrated shout that was about to slip out of his mouth. Instead, he breathed deeply through his nose, trying very hard to not get too heated. “I’m not letting go of you, Donghyuck. How many times do we have to have this conversation?”

“As many times as we need until you let go, dumbass.” 

Side stepping the guard’s perry, he pushed Donghyuck back, still making sure to keep their hands intertwined. With a second to breath, he whipped around and glared at the equally irritated sun kissed boy. “Hyuck. I am not letting go. I didn’t let go when we were in the labyrinth. I didn’t let go in the Underworld. I didn’t let go when we fell into Tartarus. So, I am definitely not letting go right now.” 

Donghyuck’s eyes glisten in the drop and he could hear the boy breath out steadily through his nose. Then he heard a sniffle, and another. A wave of pain rippled through him as he realized that his tone might have been too rough and he had hurt the younger boy. “Oh, Hyuck…,” he whispered, his hand pulling him closer. 

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine.” Donghyuck reassured. Mark watched as he dragged his ripped sleeve across his eyes, wiping the tears away before they could even fall. “I just don’t… think that I’m worthy enough of all the sacrifices that you’ve made for me, Mark.” 

Mark wanted to fight back and tell Donghyuck otherwise but he didn’t have the leisure of doing so when he heard the whistling sound of a knife cutting through air. He spun around on his heels and was able to block the guard’s spear in the nick of time. As he struggled against the impact of the spear, he made up his mind. 

“We’ll have this talk later, Hyuck.” Mark said. “A new plan. Forget the key. We’re going straight for the doors.” 

“What? It’s pointless if we can’t get through it.” 

Mark glanced at their surroundings, searching for anything that could help them. 

All around them was barren land filled with the remnants of the people who tried to cross through the doors before them. Skull heads and broken weapons littered the entire land. But the more that he looked, Mark realized that some of the abandoned weapons were still in pretty good shape. As his eyes landed on a wooden bow, another new idea came to mind. 

“Just trust me. You trust me right?” 

“Always.” 

“Okay, then on the count of three, I’m going to let go of your hand.” 

“What? Mark, what the fuck? That's like the exact opposite of what you were preaching not more than a minute ago.” Donghyuck exclaimed, anger evident in his words. Donghyuck gripped onto his hands even tighter, fearing that Mark would let go of his hand. “What happened to ‘I’m not letting you go,’ like ever?” 

“Just for a second, Hyuck, no more.” Mark told him softly and gave his hand a small squeeze. Then fueling as much strength as he could into his right arm, he shoved back against the guard, surprising it with the sudden power and knocked him to the ground. He used the guard’s moment of confusion to tell Donghyuck of his plan. “Okay, to your right there’s a bow. There’s some arrows close to it too. I want you to grab it. You have exactly five seconds to shoot it before the guards notice you’re gone.”

“Okay, so I get the bow and shoot an arrow at one of the guards, then what?” Donghyuck asked him frantically, his eyes wide as he noticed that the guards had managed to get back onto their feet. They didn’t have much time left if they wanted to pull this plan off. 

“I’m going to attack them while they’re confused from the shot that you took. And then we run like mad to those doors. The second you shoot that arrow, run. Don’t even look to make sure that you hit them or not. Just run. I’ll be right behind you to hold your hand again. We have seconds to do this before you disappear, okay?”

Mark really didn’t give Donghyuck a chance to answer because after he finished telling him of the plan, Mark shoved Donghyuck away, releasing their intertwined hands. Even though he had told Donghyuck that he would count him off before they would let go of each other, Mark didn’t. It was for the best, Mark thought. Because if he would have counted off, then there would have been time for him to second guess his choices and that was not something they could afford at the moment. Donghyuck looked back at him with a look akin to betrayal in his eyes, one that made Mark rethink his decisions. But there wasn’t any time to waste as the guards surged forward to attack him again. 

Unwillingly, Mark tore his eyes away from Donghyuck and tried to focus on the battle in front of him. He didn’t get a chance to check to see if Donghyuck had moved forward and grabbed the bow off the ground as he had planned. The only thing that he had time for was the split second he had to brace him again for the strength of the combined guard’s strength coming onto him. 

His knees nearly gave out in response, but he strained the muscles in his legs to persevere. Mark clenched his jaw and pushed back with all his might. Unlike before, he was able to shake the guards off their balance since he had both hands to fight now. Once he was able to gain the upper hand, Mark felt the adrenaline turn from ice cold to burning fire, coursing through his veins. He felt the spot beneath his ear tingle as he took a breath, eyes focused on the guards right before him. 

“See, if you had gotten rid of that boy earlier, then you would have been in a better state to fight us.” The right guard laughed at him, mocking him. “That boy is nothing but a hindrance to you. He is far too incompetent. I mean that is why he is how he is now, a Lost Soul.” 

Mark felt the anger swirl dangerously within his gut as a familiar darkness began to seep into his bones. He saw red at the corner of his vision as he stood there, fuming at what the guards had said. But before he could do anything that he would regret, Donghyuck called out for him just as he released an arrow into the air, finding its way to be embedded into the back of one of the guards. 

The sound of his name leaving Donghyuck’s lips, shook him out of his haze and pulled him back into reality. And he was glad that Donghyuck did because he was not in any condition to do what he had done to the arias. If he had tried to pull a stunt like that in his current condition, he surely would have died. 

Donghyuck’s shout had also caused the guards to become distracted, giving Mark an opening to charge at them with all his might as they had turned their attention away. While Donghyuck had captured their attention, Mark was able to swing his sword in a wide arch, effectively cutting through their armour, cutting skin. 

Slipping in between their bodies, Mark began to sprint full speed towards the doors. As his eyes landed on Donghyuck, the shadow of a smile slipped on his lips. But at the terrified look that Donghyuck had on his face, he felt his blood run cold. He hadn’t moved more than two feet when he felt a sharp pain explode through his shoulders. He stumbled on his feet in pain. Before he could steady himself, he felt another pain blossom on his side, feeling the blood trailing down his legs. 

Donghyuck had stopped in his sprint towards the doors and watched his crumpling body with tears in his eyes. “Mark!” 

He vaguely heard his name being called but the blood lost was making it hard to focus. It was getting harder to focus. The faster the blood poured out from his wounds, the slower his movements became. 

He remembered hearing Donghyuck cry out for him again, before the boy loaded up his bow again and aimed his arrows at the guards. Donghyuck shot one arrow after another, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Sometimes he even loaded his bow with two arrows at once. Each one of his arrows struck the guards with so much force that they fell backwards. 

Mark could feel that he was at his limit. He knew that he wouldn't be able to hold up any longer. He also knew that they didn't have much time left. He knew that  _ Donghyuck  _ didn't have much time left. They’ve been separated for too long. Even with his hazy vision, he could see the way Donghyuck’s body was slowly becoming less and less opaque. Donghyuck was fading away and he would disappear altogether if Mark didn't move. 

He winced as he tried to apply pressure to the cut on his side. Sucking in a deep breath, Mark stood up and began to run towards Donghyuck, ignoring the pain that shot through him with every step he took. When he looked up from the ground and searched for Donghyuck, he saw that Donghyuck had an arrow that was lit on fire held up to his face. Mark wasn’t sure how the boy had managed to find an exploding arrow amongst all of the rammage, but he was thankful that Donghyuck did. 

Donghyuck pulled the bow back and released the arrow. It sliced through the air in a perfect trajectory, exploding as it came closer to the guards, stunning them as the fire erupted. Donghyuck had managed to buy them a couple more seconds, just enough for Mark to grab a hold of his hand and continue running towards the doors. 

The moment that their hands reconnected, Mark felt a rush run through his body. The rush almost made the pain of his injuries disappear to the back of his mind as Donghyuck’s form flickered once before it began to materialize itself again. He wrapped an arm around Donghyuck and began hauling their bodies to the doors. 

Behind them, the guards had gotten back onto their feet and they began to make their way back towards them. One of them crackled out loud, “I will give it to you that you young demigods have successfully distracted us long enough for you to reach the doors. But, how will you cross without the master key?” 

Mark paid no attention to the words that the guards were yelling at him, mocking him. He only focused on the warmth of Donghyuck’s body in his arms and the doors before them.

“You can try, young demigod, but you won’t be able to open those doors.”

Donghyuck was breathing heavily against his neck, the energy that he had from before leaving his body quick as the stress of being away from Mark was finally settling in. Mark wasn’t doing all that much better. The run had taken a major toll on his body, combining that with the effort that he had to use to keep Donghyuck upright towards the door, he was on the verge of collapsing. 

Black dots began to dance in his line of vision as he dragged them closer to the doors. His legs felt like jelly as he took another step. Mark could fill the grip he had on Donghyuck’s body slipping. 

“Those doors won’t open for you. They won’t open without the master key, not unless you have the blood of Hades running through your veins, which you definitely don’t. I commend you for your efforts but it is pointless.” 

With the last of his energy, Mark reached out with a finger stained red with blood. The black dots began to grow and grow until he could hardly see anything at all. He smiled as his finger touched the lock on the double doors. 

Mark briefly remembered hearing the shocked gasps from the guards as he fell through the doors with Donghyuck in his arms before he closed his eyes. As he laid there on the ground, with Donghyuck on draped across his chest, he mustered all the energy that he had left and commanded the doors to close. He felt the warm sensation blossom within his chest as they were teleported out of the pit of Tartarus and into the center foyer of Hades’s Palace. 

He could feel the vibration of multiple footsteps running towards them, but he was already gone. The last thing that he heard was, “Oh, goodness, it’s the Young Prince!” 


	6. Six

When he finally came around, his head spun as he opened his eyes. The room was far too bright for his liking and it was way too hot. Squeezing his eyes shut, Mark groaned. His entire body ached, particularly his left arm. It was actually starting to go numb, the sensation of pins and needles erupting in his arm told him so. His mouth and throat was drier than the Sahara Desert, he needed some water, he was perched.

Although he didn't want to, Mark tried to open his eyes again, this time a bit slower so that he could adjust the bright lights. This time around, the lights didn't bother him as much and everything was clearer.

The first thing that he noticed was that a head full of fluffy brown hair was laying on his chest, which would explain why his left arm was growing numb. Craning his head slightly to the side, Mark tried to see who it was. One glance at the sun kissed skin and Mark knew exactly who it was. And he wasn't all that surprised that it had been Donghyuck.

As gently as he could, Mark tried to maneuver his arm out from under Donghyuck's body without waking the sleeping boy up. When Donghyuck let out a little snore, Mark stilled completely. It was only when the younger boy clutched onto him tighter and continued sleeping that he let out the breath that he had been holding. Making sure that Donghyuck was indeed still deep in the slumbers of sleep, he began to pull his arm out from under the boy's body.

His arm pathetically flopped over the bed once he managed to pull it free. The prickling sensation was still there but at least it was free. Mark knew that it would disappear after a little while. It was then that he noticed that there had been a gold needle embedded into his skin on the back of his hand. Eyes following the small tubing of gold liquid, he saw that it was connected to an IV bag near the bed. Instead of being filled with the normal contents that an IV bag would contain, the IV bag that hung next to him was filled with ambrosia.

If he was being fed with ambrosia like this, it had only meant one thing, they were in the Palace of Hades.

Mark slumped back into his pillow in relief. They really made it. After everything, they finally made it.

His sudden movement had shaken Donghyuck out of his slumber. He mentally cursed himself for moving so carelessly as Donghyuck began to stir on his chest. He managed to croak out, "Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you." Mark winced at the sound of his scratchy voice. He sounded  _ awful. _

Donghyuck immediately sat up at his words, staring down at him with wide eyes. His lips were parted, "M-Mark?"

He cleared his throat and nodded. This time when he spoke, his voice wasn't as terrible. "Yes... that would be my name."

"Oh, my gosh." Donghyuck exclaimed, eyes glistening as he leaned forward and grasped Mark's face into his palms. As a trembling smile reached his lips, he whispered, "I was so worried that you would never wake up."

At the touch of Donghyuck's soft and nimble fingers against his cheeks, Mark couldn't help but feel the blush that started to spread across his face. Heartbeat increasing with every second that he stared into those honey, brown eyes, he stuttered out, "Well, I'm awake now."

Donghyuck threw his arms around his neck and pulled him close. As Donghyuck settled his face into the little junction between his shoulder and neck, he cried out, "I thought you had died, Mark Lee! Don't ever do that kind of bullshit again! You have no idea how worried I was when I woke up in the middle of Hades's Palace. You fainted and were bleeding out onto the marble floors."

"I'm sorry...," he whispered back. When he heard a little sniffle come from the boy, his heart ached. Slipping his arms around Donghyuck's waist, he returned the embrace as best as he could in his current position. Breathing in Donghyuck's warm, summery scent, he apologized again. "I'm sorry, Hyuck."

"As you should be!"

"I'm sorry."

They stayed in each other's arms for so long that Mark had lost track of time. That was something that was becoming a regular occurance now. Whenever he was with Donghyuck, time faded away. Time is completely irrelevant when he had Donghyuck in his arms like that. Mark didn't worry about how much time had passed or how much time he had left. Honestly, he didn't worry about anything when it's with Donghyuck.

He began to card his finger through Donghyuck's hair, loving the way it felt. It was soft and fluffy, two things that Donghyuck embodied. Planting a kiss on the top of his head, he allowed his lips to linger for a second, taking in the sweet scent of Donghyuck's shampoo. As he leaned back up, he had realized that both him and Donghyuck had been changed out of their tattered clothes and into a newer set, which he was thankful for. Because the last time he checked, his clothes were ripped and shredded beyond belief. Not to mention it had been caked with dirt and dried blood.

At the thought of blood, he glanced down at his side and was pleasantly surprised to find that he wasn't bandaged up like he thought he would have been. But he figured that his surprise dip into the River Styx had a role in that.

When he directed his eyes back to the boy in his arms, he found that Donghyuck was still silently crying. The collar of his shirt was beginning to get soaked with hot tears and snot. With a small pout, he rubbed Donghyuck's back, his hand running up and down. "Don't cry, Hyuck. Everything is fine."

Donghyuck hastily removed himself from his neck, his eyes and nose red from all the crying. "I almost lost you, okay? So, just let me cry for a little while."

“I don’t like it when you cry.” He whispered back as he caressed Donghyuck’s face. Slipping his thumb underneath those honey brown eyes, he gently wiped away the tears that spilled from them. “I don’t like it when you’re sad.” 

“Well, too bad.” Donghyuck sniffled. “I was sad. And I’m still sad, alright?” As he laid back down onto his chest, he said, “I’m a type of person that gets attached to people too fast, even those that I just met. But when I get attached to someone so fast, I also lose them just as fast.” 

“Hyuck…” 

“It happened when my mom died, and I was sent to the orphanage. Despite what others had to say, I loved it there. All the aunties were kind and they treated me like I was their own. I had only been there for not even a year and it was taken away from me by that damn drakon.” He continued, his tone growing bitter as he recalled those memories. Then with a sigh and a sad smile returning to his lips, he said, “And then I met Renjun. You know how that turned out too. I lost him too in the end. Regardless of what I did or didn’t do, I still lost him in the end. And that hurts, you know? Knowing the fact that no matter what you’ll do, you’ll lose them anyways.” 

“I’m still here, Hyuck.” Mark told him softly. Hands reaching out for him, Mark Dan his thumb over his knuckles. “You still have me.” 

Shaking his head tearfully, Donghyuck turned in his lap to look up at him. “When I woke up and found you bleeding— oh gosh, you were bleeding so much, Mark. Everything was red. I thought that I had lost you…” 

Mark didn’t know what to say as he stared into those pretty eyes. He was overwhelmed with the emotions that swirled inside of them. His heart clenched and unclenched painfully in his chest. It ached for the pain that Donghyuck had gone through. Donghyuck didn’t deserve any of that pain, especially not the ones that pertained to him. He watched the way the tears that he had tried to wipe away continue to cascade down sun kissed skin, leaving behind wet trails in its path. 

“I loved Renjun, gosh, I loved him so much.” Donghyuck told him, eyes never leaving his. His eyes became clouded with pain for a split second. It had been so sudden that Mark felt like he had imagined it, because the love filled his eyes instead, took his breath away. 

Donghyuck’s eyes have always been very expressive, he knew that much from the first moment he saw them. They were truly the windows to his soul. He couldn’t hide anything, his eyes revealed it all. Right now, they were calling out for Mark, pleading with him to understand the complex feelings that had brewed over the time that they’ve spent together. 

“But it is nothing in comparison to what I feel for you, Mark. You came for me when I least expected and to this day I’m so grateful that you did. You came to me like a burning sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. When you saved me that day you shocked me with your appearance. It took me by surprise. But I realized that you weren’t anything like what you tried to present yourself as. Over time, your warmth seeped beneath my skin and made its way into my empty heart, filling it full. And that warmth only grew with each passing day that we spent together until it was permanent, a warm feeling simmering inside of me. You have made yourself a home inside my heart, Mark Lee.” 

“You’ve made one inside of mine too, Lee Donghyuck.” 

“If you would have left me, I don’t know what I would do, Mark. I don’t think I could ever recover from it. You’ve become a part of me. You’ve embedded yourself so deeply into me, that I don’t know where I start and where you end. It would have  _ killed _ me if you left…”

“I’m never letting you go.” He promised, arms tightening around Donghyuck’s shaking form. Lips finding its way back to the top of Donghyuck’s head, he reassured, “Don’t worry.” 

“Swear it on the River Styx, you dumbass…,” Donghyuck choked out. 

“I’m never letting you go, I swear it on the River Styx.” Once those words left his mouth, Donghyuck practically launched himself. 

Donghyuck buried himself in the crook of his neck once again, arms nearly suffocating him from how tight he had wrapped them around his neck. His breath came out in short puffs against his skin, warming it up as he cried. This time around, his shirt was getting soaked with tears much faster than the first time that Donghyuck had done this.

He heard him take a shuddering breath, hiccuping in the process. Mark could feel his soft lips move against his skin, just the spot right below his ear, his Achilles spot. The spot throbbed, pulsing with a burning fire, but a comfortable one, there wasn't any pain to it. It felt nice. Judging from the sudden intake of air, he had figured that Donghyuck had something that he wanted to say, but Mark beat him to it.

"I love you."

Donghyuck stilled within his arms, making his heart race erratically. A second passed, then another, but neither one of them had spoken a word after those three words were uttered. He felt an inkling of insecurity ebb at the edge of his mind. He was sure of his feelings for the boy in his arms— Gods, was he sure, but had he been reading all the signals that Donghyuck had been giving him wrong?

His body must have tensed up and the insecurities that he had felt surfaced because he felt Donghyuck push up against his chest immediately, sitting up right in his lap. Eyes wide and still brimming with tears, he grasped Mark's face in his hands, repeating the words back to him in a rush. "I love you too."

Donghyuck cheeks were a beautiful shade of red, and his lips were parted. He had said those four words in such a rush with so much conviction, that he was breathlessly, his chest heaving up and down as he continued to stare into Mark's eyes.

Mark had already prepared for the worst when Donghyuck hadn't said anything in return during the first few moments of him saying it. He had prepared himself yet again for another rejection. But when Donghyuck did return those words back at him, Mark didn't know what to do. Both his mind blanked out and his body froze on the spot.

"Please say something back...," Donghyuck whispered, doubt beginning to show in his voice as his fingers trembled against Mark's face.

Instead of saying something back to reassure Donghyuck of his decision to return those words back to him, Mark would much rather show him, and that's exactly what he did.

The hands that were resting on Donghyuck's waist moved up to rest on either side of the boy's face, similar to how he was holding Mark. But the moment that he had done this, Donghyuck eyes widened and he dropped his hands back into his lap, taken aback by Mark's sudden actions. And then without an ounce of hesitation, Mark lent forward and crashed his lips against Donghyuck’s.

Right when their lips made contact with one another, Donghyuck gave out a surprised noise, his body rigid as a statue. Donghyuck only relaxed under his hold when he started to move his lips tentatively and slowly. And then when Donghyuck began to respond back, Mark felt like his entire body was on fire.

Although the kiss was slower, he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. The feeling of Donghyuck's lips against his own and the way the younger boy grasped at his shirt desperately, wanting them to be even closer than they already were, made his head spin. Slipping a hand behind the nape of Donghyuck's neck, he slotted their lips in a way that made him breathless. And it seemed like Donghyuck felt the same way too when he gave out a soft sigh as he did so.

Their lips formed a bridge that allowed them to flood one another with the loving emotions that they've held captive and within the soul for so long. Mark felt drunk on the warmth and love that was Donghyuck. His lips chased it each and every time their lips would part, even for a mere second.

Mark would have been lying if he hadn't thought about this moment, the moment where he would be able to kiss Donghyuck like this. He had thought about a million times, probably even more. He wondered how Donghyuck's lips would feel. Were they just as soft and plump as they appeared? He wondered if they would taste like the summer sun and the salty sea. Or would they taste sweeter than anything else in the world? He wondered if kissing him would cause the butterflies to flutter within his stomach like everyone had claimed they felt when they kissed someone they loved. Or would he burn and be smothered into a fiery blaze?

As he continued to kiss Donghyuck senselessly, he had found his answers.

Donghyuck's lips did feel as soft as they had appeared. Mark felt like he was kissing the clouds. Donghyuck tasted like everything that summer had to hold. He tasted like the salty waters of the sea and like his favorite strawberry lemonade he would drink everyday at camp. Kissing Donghyuck did make the butterflies spread their wings and fly about in his stomach. And gods, did he burn under Donghyuck's lips.

The fire reached his heart first, igniting it whole. After it had consumed his heart completely, it moved to his bones, flames licking at it until he was numb. And then it touched his soul. The fire that came from Donghyuck's kiss scorched his soul, melting it, until it became one with Donghyuck.

Although he didn't want to, he had to part for air and despite the whines that slipped from Donghyuck's lips, Mark knew that the boy needed a breather too. He pulled away from the kiss but not too far, just enough for them to catch the air that they both needed. He lingered, his lips only a breath away as he rested their foreheads against one another. His labored breathing came out in short puffs of air, caressing Donghyuck's lips in a teasing manner.

"I love you so much." He managed to say as their breaths mingled with each other as they both tried to steady their heartbeats. His thumb ran along Donghyuck's jawline, smiling as he allowed himself to drown in those honey, brown eyes. Then brushing the hairs out of his eyes, Mark planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you more." Donghyuck replied back, his entire face radiant.

Placing another kiss on Donghyuck's face, this time on the tip of his adorable nose, Mark whispered, "I love you most." Unable to stop himself from smiling like a complete and utter fool, he added, "So, I win."

Donghyuck threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking as his melodic laughter filled every inch of the room. Slapping Mark on his chest, he shook his head, "Love is not a competition, dumbass."

"I know." He smiled. Eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky, Mark asked him, "But can we kiss again?"

"No, later." Donghyuck slipped away from his grasp, settling onto the bed instead. He giggled at the pout that Mark had. Leaning forward, he decided to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "You're such a baby, Mark."

"I'm older than you," Mark reminded him with a roll of his eyes. "Just thought I would remind you in case you forgot."

"Age is nothing but a number."

"Whatever."

"Anyways," Donghyuck began, his tone turning serious for a split second before he shouted, "why didn't you tell me that you were the fucking  _ Prince _ ?"

"I didn't think that it was necessary information." Mark shrugged his shoulders, as if it wasn't that big of a deal. This had earned him another slap on the chest.

"Not necessary information, my ass!" Donghyuck huffed, arms crossed his chest. "You father is Hades and you're the Prince of the Underworld. That's pretty crucial information to know if we're going to be dating, dickhead. Also, being the Prince would have been the golden ticket to get here. Why didn't you tell me or anyone else? It would have made the journey a whole lot easier."

"Oh, so we are boyfriends then?" Mark asked, eyes twinkling as he completely ignored the rest of Donghyuck's rant.

The sun kissed boy snorted out loud and grumbled, "Of course that would be the only thing that your pea size brain would focus on." Fiery eyes connect with his own, Donghyuck bit out, "Yes, we are boyfriends. I thought the kiss had enough context."

"Hey," Mark laughed, "it's never a bad idea to double check."

"Yes, we're dating. And we're boyfriends. Now can we please move on to the actual situation at hand? You're the Prince and why did you keep it a secret, Mark?"

Casting his eyes down to his hands, he sighed. His playful demeanor had vanished. "I didn't say anything because it's not something that I'm really proud of, I guess? Plus, it's not really a known fact that Hades had a child with a mortal. You know he's married to Persephone, right? So I was the product of a fleeting affair that he had while Persephone was on the surface helping Demeter with spring. It's been a secret since I was born, and it still is now. We don't really talk much either."

"So, in short, you have daddy issues." Donghyuck stated.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Mark nodded. "And you know that children of the Big Three are worse than other demigods, right? Our scents are much stronger than yours. We attract more monsters and trouble than a whole cabin of you guys. That's why I try to keep it on the down low."

"That's kind of stupid though. Even if you keep your profile low, those monsters can sniff you out."

"It was my father's suggestion." Mark told him. The shrugging his shoulders, he added, "Sounds kind of dumb but I mean it worked for the most part. The monsters might find it strange that my scent is much more overwhelming than the demigod but at camp I was safe anyways. When they didn't know that I existed and that Hades supposedly didn't have any children of his own, I wasn't a walking target. The only time that I really had a problem was when I went on quests, but then I would bring special herbs that Persephone would send me to mask my scent."

"Wait, Persephone  _ helped  _ you?" Donghyuck blurted out, eyes growing to the size of saucers.

"Yeah, Persephone did."

"Isn't Persephone supposed to be bitter that Hades cheated and had a child from his love affair? Why would Persephone help you?" Donghyuck continued. Then he waved his hands up in the air as he realized what he had just said. Cheeks growing red, he rushed to stutter out, "Not that it's a bad thing or anything! I just figured Persephone would be too bitter to help..."

"You've been around here for how long, and you still don't know what Persephone's personality is like?"

"I've been around but not actually  _ around.  _ The only things that I heard were rumors and those you take with a grain of salt. That's what I've learned around here."

"I guess that you're right. But Persephone isn't like that. Persephone didn't have any bitter feelings about it or about me being born as a result of it. Persephone treated me as if I was their own and kept in contact with me more than my own father did."

"No offense, but Hades kind of seemed like a dick." Donghyuck muttered. With his lips pressed together in a thin line, he said, "I probably shouldn't be bad mouthing the guy that owns this castle and realm, but it's the truth, he's an absolute dick."

"Eh, I guess." Mark laughed, although it sounded much more hollow than he had intended. "I don't really have any particular feelings about him. It's pretty neutral honestly. We just don't talk."

"Even if you don't feel any type of way towards him, I still think that he's a dick."

"Alright, Donghyuck. You can think whatever you want and say whatever you want when you're with me." He said, a smile still on his lips. "Just don't say it infront of him. I've never seen him mad, but I really don't want to either."

"I make no promises." Donghyuck gritted out, his arms still crossed against his chest as he had his back turned away from Mark.

"That's fine, I guess." He laughed, finding the pout that the younger boy had amusing. It was honestly adorable too. So he reached out for him, tugging at his hands, saying, "Alright, come here, and let me smother you with some kisses, Hyuck."

The moment his hands had made contact with Donghyuck, the boy melted into his touch, all bitterness forgotten. Rolling his eyes and batting his lashes prettily at Mark, Donghyuck sighed, "You're lucky you're a good kisser, Mark Lee."

Mark could only smile wider in response as he pulled Donghyuck closer until he was practically straddling him. Lips inching closer, he closed his eyes, waiting for the warmth of Donghyuck's lips to cover his own.

But that never came as a loud knock resonated through the room, announcing the arrival of one of the maids in the Palace. The words of the maid were muffled by the thick wooden door as she spoke, "Young Prince, I'm sorry to intrude on your time with your guest, but the King has called for your presence."

He groaned out loud at their unwanted interruption, flopping back against his pillow. Dragging a frustrated hand down his back, he cleared his throat before he called out to the maid, "Please tell my father that I will be down to meet him soon."

"Your attire for the day has already been prepared for you, Young Prince. If you need any further assistance, we'll be outside your chamber." The maid continued.

"Thank you, you may be dismissed."

He listened to the quiet shuffling of the maids before it became quiet again. But the silence didn't last long though because Donghyuck erupted into a fit of laughter, toppling over onto the bed as he clutched at his stomach. "Well that's one way to ruin the mood,  _ Young Prince." _

"Please don't call me that," he groaned again.

After he had managed to get his giggles under control, Donghyuck approached him and poked at the hands covering his face, urging Mark to remove them. When he had removed them, although a bit reluntly, Donghyuck surged forward and pecked his lips, catching him off guard. Smiling down at him, Donghyuck said, "Alright, let's face this dickhead of a father of yours." 

.

As he fastened the closure of his cloak around his neck, Mark began to walk down the hall to the throne room. With every step that brought him closer to the room that he knew his father was in, the faster his heart began to beat. He unconsciously clenched and unclenched his hands, tried his hardest to make them less clammy than they were. 

He had finished up before Donghyuck did, which was why he was heading to the throne room by himself. Donghyuck had promised to follow in after him just as soon as he got dressed. Mark had wanted to walk to the throne room together, but the younger boy had argued that they shouldn't keep the King waiting any longer than they've already had. Even if Mark was the Prince, it was improper to keep a King, who was his father, waiting like that. So with much hesitation and a lot of shoving from Donghyuck did he leave.

Now, he was regretting his decision to go alone. He was so anxious that everything set him off, especially the quiet whispers of the maids behind him as he walked. Mark had told them endlessly that he was more than capable of walking to the throne room on his own but they had insisted that they follow him for it was the protocol around the Palace.

Mark could only sigh in response. Nothing had really changed since the last time he came here.

Like the first time that he had visited the Palace, the maids had pushed him into the elegant Prince attire. The clothes clung to him like a second skin, making it all that much harder to breath. The collar was far too high for his liking. The royal cloak that sat on his shoulders was like a shadow and way too heavy. It weighed him down and it made every step that he took take all the energy out of him. He hated royal attire back when he was young, and he still hated it. The royal garments were beautiful, but he much preferred his loose t-shirts and sweatpants any day. They were so much more comfortable than what he was wearing right now.

As he approached the large double doors of the great throne room, the guards cloaked in black bowed at him before opening them for him to enter. Once his foot stepped past the entrance, the maids that had been following him stayed behind and he was finally alone.

Releasing a breath that he didn't know that he was holding, Mark braced himself for the encounter with his father. His footsteps echoed loudly in the room, piercing through the silence. When he reached the halfway mark, he allowed him to move his eyes from the floor and up to the two figures sitting on the thrones.

With a full bow, he said, "My Kings, you've requested my presence?"

"Where's your sun boy?" A warm voice had asked him and Mark could just imagine the way their eyes would sparkle as they spoke.

Feeling a little less tense, Mark rose from his bowed position and searched for his favorite person in this cursed place, Persephone. Slightly embarrassed by being exposed like that, Mark blushed. "Donghyuck is still getting ready. He'll be down soon."

Taeyong laughed in response to the red color that rose to Mark's cheek. Tone still teasing, he asked, "That boy makes you laugh a lot, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he's pretty funny."

"Well, I'm glad. Because it's about time that you find someone like that, someone who returns all of your love." Taeyong said, his eyes sparkling as he waved his hands in the air once. Mark had smelt the flowers way before they had magically appeared in his hands, a bouquet of sunflowers. "I'm excited to meet the boy that brings you such happiness."

Mark admired the flowers in his hands. They reminded him so much of Donghyuck with their vibrant petals and warmth. Grasping them tightly in his hands, he looked back up to Taeyong, smiling, "Thank you. He'll love them."

"Bring him to my gardens afterwards, I have a feeling that he'll love it too." Taeyong told him.

"I will."

A loud cough cut the moment that they had shared short. Ripping his eyes away from Taeyong, he looked at his father and froze. Mark had nearly forgotten the reason that he was in the throne room in the first place.

Bowing his head once more, he said, "Father."

"You've made quite a journey to get here, Mark." Johnny commented, he too was on guard and tense. The happy atmosphere that was once there when he had talked to Taeyong disappeared completely. In place of it was a cold and awkward one. "I've heard that you came here for a request."

"I did," Mark replied, swallowing thickly. His heart started to race again as he stared into the endless void of Johnny's eyes.

"Well, now that you've made it, aren't you going to tell me the reason why you had embarked on this long, treacherous journey in the first place? I should reward you for all of your efforts. So, what is your request?"

"I want to take a soul back with me." Mark answered, his hands shaking at his side underneath the covers of his cloak.

Surprisingly, Johnny didn't have any comments in regards to his request. Mark was sure that he would have turned down his request without a question and told him to leave without any explanations. He merely nodded and asked, "Which boys' soul would you like to take back with you?"

"You're not going to ask why?" He asked in disbelief. This was going much smoother than he had expected it to go. Not that he was complaining though, Mark was just shocked.

"Is there a need to?" Johnny asked him in return. Dark eyes piercing into his soul, he said, "You've encountered many troubles in your journey getting here. But you still made it even in life and death situations. You even made it through the uncharted territories of Tartarus. I think you deserve something in return."

Beside Johnny , Taeyong rolled his eyes, saying, "Can you be any more insensitive, love? Mark is your son for crying out loud. Show some care and love. Would it kill you to be a little more affectionate with your son?" Then directing his eyes over to Mark's rigid form, he smiled. "Alright, tell us what you want, Mark. Which soul did you want to take back?"

He heard the double doors of the throne room open behind him but he didn't pay it any attention. Licking his chapped lips, he told them what he wanted. "I want Donghyuck's soul back so that I can take him with me when I leave."

A small gasp echoed out as he said those words. But Mark didn't dare turn around because he had already known who it was. And if he turned around at that very moment, he knew that his resolve would crumble, which was something he could not afford if he was trying to face his father and requesting what he was requesting.

"I want Donghyuck's soul." Mark repeated himself, this time much more firmer than the first.

Donghyuck was walking fast across the throne room, his feet crossing the room in seconds as he came up behind Mark. Tugging on his arm, the younger boy whispered hotly, "Mark, what are you doing."

He tried to ignore the way his arm burned within Donghyuck's grasp and the way his heart skipped a beat as his name was whispered. Instead he focused on the intense gaze that his father had on him. He didn't miss that way Johnny's eyes slipped over to Donghyuck for a second before it returned back to his own. He watched in anticipation as Johnny rose from his throne and began to descend down the stairs to the floor that he stood on.

"So you want Donghyuck's soul." Johnny said as he came closer. He raised a single brow, asking, "You do realize that you're asking for a Lost Soul, right? And then you're asking to take him back with you when you leave."

"I am aware," he replied, a sinking feeling blooming in his chest. The fears that he had earlier were slowly coming back to him. The fear of his father not giving in to his request and not allowing him to take Donghyuck back with him had resurfaced. "But that is my request, I want Donghyuck's soul."

"Ah, a tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, what a classic." Johnny laughed, his deep voice filling the empty room. When he looked back at Mark, his eyes shone with something akin to mischief. "What happened to retrieving Lucas's soul?"

At the mention of his past unrequited lover's name, Mark stilled. Beside him, Donghyuck had stood frozen too, his arms dropping from Mark's arm instantly. Although Donghyuck hadn't uttered a single word since he had asked Mark why, he could feel the insecurity radiating off the boy's body and he didn't like that. He didn't like it one bit. Mark had had enough of Donghyuck feeling like he didn't matter or that he wasn't enough for anyone. Donghyuck had never mentioned this out loud to him but Mark knew this. He knew that Donghyuck felt like he was undeserving of loving anyone in his life and that was the reason why everyone that he loved all left so early.

But Mark was different and he was determined to change it.

Stepping in front of Donghyuck, hoping to block him from Johnny's burning stare, he said, "I don't want Lucas's soul. I want Donghyuck."

"Honestly, when I received Lucas's soul for further judgement, I was sure that I would see you soon thereafter." Johnny continued. "I had a feeling that you would come to retrieve his soul for how much you had loved him."

"Exactly, I  _ had  _ loved him. In the past, yes, but not anymore." Mark stated, his hand reaching behind him to intertwine with Donghyuck. He gave the younger boy's trembling hand a small squeeze. "I don't want his soul anymore. I want Donghyuck."

"Well, if you're sure about your decision—"

"I am sure."

"Then I will grant it to you." Johnny finished off. With a nod, he turned around and began heading back towards his throne. "I will give you Donghyuck's soul and I will allow you to take him back with you when you leave."

"Swear it on the River Styx."

The room grew silent at his sudden additional request. But he didn't care. Mark didn't care if he offended his father, the King of the Dead and the ruler of the Underworld. He had already had his fair share of experiences with deals that he had made with others only for them to not uphold it in the end because they were nothing but a bunch of sneaky bastards. Words meant nothing if they didn't have a binding contract. Promises meant nothing too if they weren't swore upon on the River Styx. So even if he was speaking to a God, his own father, Mark was not taking the risks. He did not make it this far for all his effort for it to burn to ashes.

His hand tightened around Donghyuck's hand as he waited for Johnny to say something in return. By this point his heart was drumming so loudly in his ears that he could barely think.

After another moment, Johnny threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Always so cautious. You truly are my son." He continued laughing for a couple more minutes. Johnny glanced over at his beloved, Taeyong, once before saying, "Alright. I swear it on the River Styx to return Donghyuck's lost soul to you and you may take him back when you decide to leave this realm."

Bowing his head, Mark stared hard at the ground beneath his feet, willing his heart to stop beating so hard. He had nearly missed what Johnny had said if it hadn't been for Donghyuck's hands holding him grounded and to reality. "Thank you, father."

"But," Johnny had begun as he stood back up to his full height. Just when Mark had thought that the worst was over, his father had something else to say. "You are aware of the terms and conditions of bringing Donghyuck back with you, correct? The same conditions apply to you as it did with Orpheus and Eurydice. Just because you are my son, my blood, doesn't mean I will make any exception to the rules."

"I didn't think that you would, father." Mark replied back, back standing rigid. Then in a mocking tone, he added, "Playing soft isn't really your forte."

This time, it was Taeyong's turn to burst out laughing and that made Mark feel a little better.

.

For a child of the sun, Donghyuck looked ethereal in the garments of the underworld. The dark flower patterned blouse exposed his sun kissed skin and Mark couldn’t help but lean in to plant a kiss right on his collarbones. The younger boy giggled, his face flushed at Mark’s actions. 

“Stop it,” he smiled, hands pushing against Mark’s chest. 

Mark lifted his head up and gazed into Donghyuck’s honey brown eyes. Matching the smile that Donghyuck had on his lips, he reached forward to brush a few strands of hair out of the boy’s eyes. “Do you really want me to stop though?” Mark teased. 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and simply tugged Mark closer until they were chest to chest, feeling each other’s steady heartbeat. Leaning upwards, he hovered over Mark’s lips, saying, “No, I don’t. But kiss me properly this time around, would you?” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Mark breathed out before he leaned in closer and connected their lips. 

He loved the way Donghyuck continued to smile into the kiss, he could feel the way the corner of lips were curled upwards. It made his heart dance within his chest as he relished in the fact that Donghyuck had enjoyed kissing him as much as he had enjoyed kissing Donghyuck. Mark doesn’t think that he’ll ever grow tired of kissing Donghyuck. And he doesn’t think that he’ll ever grow tired of loving Donghyuck either. 

“I love you,” he whispered softly against Donghyuck’s lips. 

“I love you too, you dork.” Donghyuck giggled, eyes sparkling as he returned those words. 

The nature nymphs in the garden all gave out a giddy collective sigh, making Mark flush bright red. He dove into the junction of Donghyuck’s neck, feeling his whole face burn as the nymphs continued to gush about how cute they were. He simply buried his face deeper into Donghyuck’s neck when the boy continued to giggle at his reaction for he was thoroughly enjoying the attention that the nature nymphs were showering them. 

When he felt Donghyuck’s fingers carding themselves through his hair, he took a tiny peek from his hiding spot. He found honey brown eyes gazing down at him tenderly. Donghyuck’s hair was a fluffy mess and the nature nymphs had taken it upon themselves to weave in flowers from the garden into his hair. 

Donghyuck looked so beautiful. 

“You get so easily flustered, Mark.” Donghyuck told him, eyes never leaving his. “What kind of Prince are you to get flustered over some attention?”

Lifting his head fully so that he was looking down at the boy sprawled out on the grass before him, Mark rolled his eyes. “I told you not to call me that, Hyuck.”

“Whether I call you that or not, it doesn’t erase the fact that you’re a Prince.” Donghyuck quipped back, smiling as wide as ever. The younger boy really knew how to ruffle his feathers. He can always trust Donghyuck to annoy him to no end. 

“You’re unbelievable, Hyuck.” 

Raising a single brow, Donghyuck asked, “But do you know what’s not unbelievable?” 

“What?”

“My love for you.” 

The nature nymphs all around them shrieked and held onto one another as Donghyuck whispered those words. Only this time around, Mark didn’t feel an ounce of embarrassment because he was all too caught up in the love that he had with Donghyuck. He easily matched the wide smile that Donghyuck had before leaning forward with the mission to capture Donghyuck’s lips within his once more. 

But that thought was thrown out the window when he heard a gruff voice call out to him, “Mark, a word please.” 

The nature nymphs that had been watching them vanished, going back into hiding in the flowers and trees. It became so silent that Mark felt like he could cut the tension in the air with his sword. Beneath him Donghyuck scrambled to sit back up and pushed Mark as far as he could. He shook his head, getting rid of the flowers in his hair, letting them rain down to the grass. He bowed his head down in greeting to the King. Even if Donghyuck didn’t like his father, the boy was still respectful towards him since they were in his realm.

Mark didn’t feel the need to show his respect because he really didn’t have much for Johnny. So he took his time getting up from the ground, even making sure to let out a long and annoyed sigh as he slowly stood up, to which he earned an elbow to the rib courtesy of Donghyuck. He threw the boy a glare before turning to face his father. 

“Yes?” He asked, his entire body tense as he waited for a reply. 

“Not here,” Johnny told him. With a small tilt of his head, he motioned for Mark to leave the gardens. “Let’s talk elsewhere. Taeyong’s garden has too many ears and eyes for the conversation that I want to have.”

He bit the inside of his cheeks. He sneaked a glance at Donghyuck, inky black clashing with honey brown. Donghyuck shook his head and motioned him to leave. But that was the thing, Mark didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave Donghyuck and he really didn’t want to talk with his father. Even if Johnny had granted him Donghyuck’s soul, it didn’t solve all the issues that they had. 

“Mark?” Johnny had called out for him again, this time his tone was much sharper than the first. The patience that Johnny had for him was running thin, Mark could tell. And it was not a good idea to make the King of the Underworld mad. 

Mark reached out for Donghyuck’s hands and gave it a single squeeze before he began walking towards his father. With a sigh, he met his father outside of the garden. They held each other's eyes for a split second before Johnny turned on his heels and began walking down the dark corridors, his cloak billowing behind. 

.

He quietly closed the door behind him as he entered. Johnny was already on the other side of the stable, petting the mane of his dark stallions. As Mark stepped closer to where Johnny stood, his father handed him one of the horse’s reins. “Hop on, we’re going somewhere.”

Mark stiffly took the reins from Johnny’s cold hand, shuddering when their skin made contact with one another. He stood there, not moving, watching his father climb on his own horse. A second passed, then another but he remained where he was. It was only when his horse began to nudge its wet nose against his hand, urging him to climb on as well that he did so. 

It had been a while since Mark had ridden a horse. He was five the last time that he did, and that was when he first visited the Palace. But surprisingly, he didn’t struggle as much as he thought he would have. The dark stallion stayed still as he climbed onto top it and it only moved forward when it felt like he was settled. His horse gave out a soft neigh before it started to trot alongside Johnny’s horse, matching its pace. 

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Mark asked, hands tightening around the reins. As he looked around them, watching how their horses were taking them further and further away from the Palace. “Also, where are we going?”

“So many questions. You’ve always had so many questions, Mark.” Johnny replied back, his eyes directed forward. 

“That’s because you never answer them. I’m going to ask them until I get an answer.” 

“Fair enough,” Johnny nodded. “We’re going to the Asphodel Meadows.”

His eyes widened as he felt his heart climb into his throat. Hands gripping onto the reins so tight that his knuckles turned white, he dared asked, “Why?”

Johnny surprisingly chuckled in response. Shaking his head, he said, “I answered your question but you still ask more questions. You’ve always been a curious child.” 

“I always ask you more questions because your answers make me more confused more than anything else.” 

“Then what I’m going to ask next is probably going to make your head spin.” Johnny let out another chuckle. 

Mark wasn’t sure how to feel about the sudden change in their dynamics. The amount of times that he had heard his father chuckle in the past two minutes was more than what he heard in his entire life. So seeing how easily his father was interacting with him right now was rather strange. 

“I know that I have given you my word back in the throne room,” Johnny began and for a moment Mark was afraid that he was going to take back what he had said. As he opened his mouth to argue, Johnny shook his head. “No, don’t worry about me taking it back. You still have it, you did make me swear on the River Styx, Mark. I can’t break my promise. That is only if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t understand…”

“What I’m saying is that, do you really want Donghyuck’s soul? Or did you let the love that you have for the boy cloud your decisions?” Johnny asked him. “Are you sure that you don’t want Lucas’s soul anymore? That was the first reason you even went on his journey anyways, Mark. I don’t want you to make any decisions that you’ll regret later on. Regret is a very bitter pill to swallow.”

“No, I am sure.” Mark stated firmly. 

He could feel the embers of anger clawing its way to the top. He couldn’t believe that his father had the audacity to question his decisions and his love for Donghyuck. Johnny didn’t know a single thing about him. He doesn’t know what he’s been through or what he had to deal with. So he didn’t have any right to talk to him like he cared about what Mark chose to do or don’t do in his life. 

“Let’s hold on to that answer until after our visit to the Meadows, alright?” 

“My answer isn’t going to change. It’s not going to change now. It’s not going to change after. It’s not going to change ever.” Mark huffed out. “I want Donghyuck’s soul and I’m bringing him back with me, Father. Nothing you do or say will change that.”

“You’ve been so headstrong and stubborn ever since you were young, Mark.”

“You are too.”

“I mean you had to get it from somewhere, right?” Johnny joked, his dark eyes twinkling with something akin to mirth. 

“I guess.”

“Come on, let’s get going on. I know how much you want to get back to that golden boy of yours, so let’s get this over with.”

Mark felt the tips of his ears burn furiously at his father’s comment. But it wasn't like it wasn’t the truth. Johnny was correct. He would much rather be spending his time with Donghyuck right now instead. There was so much more to the Palace that he wanted to show to the boy. There were places that Mark knew Donghyuck would love. Taeyong’s garden had only been one of them. Not to mention they were way too occupied with each other’s lips for him to even finish giving Donghyuck the tour of the garden. 

“You remember how to shadow travel, don’t you?” Johnny asked, shaking him out of his thoughts. 

He nodded. Mark had only used shadow traveling a couple times out of the realm. Each time that he had done it, it had taken a major toll on his body afterwards so he had tried to limit the use of it as much as he could. He only resorted to it if it was his only and last choice, just like summoning the dead for help. 

But shadow traveling was a little different when he did in the realm. It was much easier to do and it didn’t exhaust his body as much when he did it here. It was probably based on the fact that this was his home. No matter how much he had denied it, arguing that camp was his real home, the Underworld was his true home. His body thrived here more than anywhere else. 

He willed himself to become one with the darkness around them, slipping into the shadows. He felt the tug in his gut intensified as he allowed the shadows to engulf him completely. Mark let himself relax, letting the cold air caress his skin, leaving goosebumps in its path. Once he felt like he was no longer in the fields outside the Palace, he thought about the Meadows and focused on it hard. 

He felt another hard tug in his gut before he felt the world around him spin. The air around him grew even colder and his heart hammered. Just as fast as he had felt it, it stopped altogether because he could feel the wave of nausea come onto. As the air began to settle down and he found that it was much easier to breathe, Mark opened his eyes. 

They were in the Fields of the Asphodel Meadows. 

Thousands of grey souls stood motionlessly in the field, swaying left to right, but going nowhere. Some of them were clustered together, he could only assume that they were families that had died with one another. Then there were others that stood a great distance apart from everybody else, alone in their own world. Every one of them had a glazed over look in their eyes, their minds not registering much of anything. 

Their unfocused eyes made him unnerved. It reminded him of the dreams he had of the Meadows when he and Donghyuck were in the labyrinth. He took a deep breath and had to remind himself that this was real and what he had experienced before wasn’t. He was here in the real Asphodel Meadows while Donghyuck was safe and back at the Palace, no one was going to hurt him. There weren't any fires or angry souls wanting to kill him. 

“There’s a couple people here that want to talk to you before you leave, Mark.” Johnny whispered as he hopped down from his own horse before going over to Mark and helping him down too. 

His hands began to sweat. Wiping them on the inside of his cloak, he asked, “Who?”

“Me.” 

Mark whipped around to face the familiar voice, one that he had been dreading to hear because of all that had happened between them. His mouth grew dry as he came face to face with his first love. “Lucas…,” he breathed out. 

“Hey, Mark.” Lucas smiled at him. The taller boy took one step forward, then another until they were toe to toe before he reached out and pulled Mark into a tight hug. Mark was sure that Lucas could feel the way that his heart was drumming so hard in his chest. 

But for once, his heart didn’t beat as a result of the butterflies he would have because of their skinship. No, it was rather from the nerves of the conversation that he would have to have with the boy. Mark had chosen Donghyuck over Lucas and he wasn’t sure how the latter was going to respond to his betrayal. But he didn’t regret his decision one bit. He didn’t see it back then but Donghyuck was always going to be his final choice. It had always been Donghyuck whether he knew it or not from the first time he looked into those honey brown eyes.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Lucas laughed, his deep voice sending vibrations through his entire body. “I can literally hear the gears in your head working, Mark. You need to relax.”

“It’s kind of hard when the last two times that I saw you, you tried to kill me…”

“Okay, I totally did not try to kill you, man.” 

Mark was the first to pull away. Giving Lucas an incredulous look, he deadpanned, “Yes you did. You tried to leave me burning in the very field that we’re standing in right now. And then you cursed me with your final breath.” 

“Okay, first of all, the one in the Meadows. That wasn’t even real.” Lucas began and he could only laugh loudly at the confusion on Mark’s face. “That was an illusion. Seriously, Mark, don’t tell me that you fell for it! I thought I taught you better than to believe everything that you see or dream of.”

“Yeah, it was an illusion but it still wasn’t real.”

“Your words are contradicting themselves, Mark.”

“Illusions and dreams work differently with demigods. They can be visions or messages from the subconscious or other people.” 

“Yes, but illusions created by a Goddess? They’re just illusions, Mark. Especially the one that you had in the labyrinth. Aphrodite just wanted to play around and you just so happened to be her new victim. And second of all, those cursed arias totally put my curse out of context. I hadn’t meant it for you, Mark. It was meant for someone else but I guess they didn’t keep that in mind...” 

“So, it wasn’t real?” Mark questioned, still confused about everything that was going on because it had felt so real. Even if it was just an illusion, there were aspects to it that he was sure were real. 

“No. Not one bit.” Lucas replied back. Messing up his hair in an affectionate manner, he added, “For the Prince of the Underworld, you sure are gullible, Mark. I thought I taught you better than this. If the Prince can be fooled so easily by a mere illusion how is he going to rule his realm.”

“I’m not ruling anything.” He muttered. “And I’m not a Prince.”

“Say whatever you want Mark but it won’t change the fact that you are one. Which by the way, why the heck did you hide that from me? You’re supposed to share everything with me, Mark. No secrets, remember?”

“Well, I kind of had to keep secrets when I started to feel a certain way about you…”

Lucas rolled his eyes once before saying, “You weren’t that great at hiding your feelings, Mark. Everyone knew that you had a crush on me, dummy.”

“Why didn’t you do anything about it then if you knew about it.” Mark countered bitterly. Although he had moved on from the feelings that he had for Lucas, it didn’t make him any less bitter about what had happened. “Would have saved me from a massive heartbreak, you jerk.”

“Hey, I am not a jerk. And you knew it was just a crush, Mark. What you had felt for me wasn’t love. You just thought that it was.”

“Yeah, but still…”

“It would have been worse if I played along and tried to reciprocate the feelings that you had felt for me, Mark. I would have just given you false hope because I didn’t love in that kind of way, I love Jungwoo. And you deserve so much more than that.  You deserve to be chosen, Mark. You deserve to be chosen without hesitation, over and over again. You don’t deserve to be only an option, more than a consideration. You deserve so much more than that. You deserve someone like Donghyuck.”

At the mention of the golden boy,  _ his  _ golden boy, Mark can’t help but smile. “Donghyuck is pretty amazing, isn’t he?”

“Oh my gosh. Keep your cheesy and lovey dovey thoughts to yourself, Mark Lee.” Lucas hollered, giving him a hard shove on the shoulders. “You’re absolutely disgusting.” 

“Love isn’t disgusting. It’s beautiful. And shut up, you’ve been sprouting the same exact thing ever since you started Jungwoo, so you don’t have any say in this.” 

“Alright, alright. You got me there.” Lucas laughed, his eyes disappearing. Then attempting to become a little more serious, he narrowed his eyes on Mark, adding, “I’m still bitter that you kept your royal status from me.”

“Well, get in line, because a lot of people are mad at me for keeping that secret.”

“I’m sure Donghyuck has done enough for me.”

Mark nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the statement. “He’s never going to let me live it down that I hid it from him.”

“Tell that sunshine of yours thank you for all that he’s done and that I wish you all the luck in the world for your relationship. It’s about time that the two found one another and discovered the real love that you two deserve.”

“Thank you, Lucas. Really.” Mark smiled, his heart growing warm at Lucas’s words. 

“Well,” Lucas began, his voice starting to grow distant. With a happy smile on his lips, he said, “I think that this is it. I only stayed behind to say the words that I never got to tell you before I died. I think my soul is ready to move on now that I got to say them to you.”

He felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest. Lucas had stuck around in the Asphodel Meadows because he wanted to talk to him one last time before he moved on? He had spent gods know how much time in this grey space just to talk to him, to tell him that he deserved a greater love than what Lucas could have given him. Mark didn’t know if he should be happy or sad over this newfound information. 

“You really didn’t have to wait for me, Lucas…”

“No, trust me, I had to.” Lucas told him, shoulders shaking with laughter. “I know you better than that and I was correct because your irrational ass dove straight into the labyrinth to travel here, the Underworld, your least favorite place in the entire universe just because you wanted to revive me back from the dead. I had to be here when you arrived to tell you how fucking stupid and reckless you were to pull a move like that.”

“Okay, point taken…”

“Exactly.” Then reaching forward, Lucas pulled him into another embrace. This time he held onto Mark’s body a little tighter. “Now come here, you baby, give your best friend one last hug before I have to go.” 

“I’m not a baby…,” Mark mumbled into his chest, feeling his eyes growing wet as he returned the hug. Burying his face deeper into his chest, he said softly, “I love you, Lucas. Thank you for everything.”

“No problem, bud. I love you too. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of your life, even if it was only for a short while.” 

He stayed like that, standing in Lucas’s embrace and committing the warmth of his best friend's arms around him into his mind. He breathed in Lucas's fiery scent as he tightened his arms around the taller boy, trying to hold onto him a little longer. But he knew that it was time for Lucas to go. Lucas wasn’t to spend the rest of life after death here in the Asphodel Meadows, no, Lucas deserved much more than that. He deserved to be in the Elysium with Jungwoo and to spend the rest of his time there. As he felt the warmth surrounding him disappear, he knew in his heart that that’s where Lucas was going. 

“Don’t get too emotional, Mark.” Johnny said. Giving his shoulder light squeeze, he pointed to another soul, “There’s still one more person that wants to talk to you.”

He willed his tears not to fall and swallowed the lump in his throat. With a nod, he turned to face the other soul that his father had told him about. Breathing out shakily, he was met with a petite boy that he hadn’t had a clue about who he was. 

As he took in the younger boy’s short height and fiery eyes, he could only think of one person, it was  _ Huang Renjun.  _ He had never seen an image of the boy before but something in his gut told him that it was Renjun.

“Yes, that would be me.” The boy laughed. He stepped forward and extended a hand out towards Mark. “And you must be Mark Lee, the love of Donghyuck’s life.”

He reached out and shook Renjun’s hand, almost wincing at how firm the boy’s grip was. Renjun was tiny, but he was still a child of Ares, so he was still a force to be reckoned with. 

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve stuck around to talk to you, don’t you?” Renjun gave out a nervous laugh and Mark couldn’t help but think that he was pretty adorable. 

He could see how Donghyuck was absolutely smitten with this boy. He was all things fire and spice but he was also so soft. Despite this being the first time that he met Renjun, there was a sudden urge in him to protect the boy, even if he was more than capable of protecting himself. 

“How did you know that I was going to come around or who I even was to stay behind to talk to me?” Mark asked because yes, he was confused. He was very confused about it all. There was no way that Rejun could have possibly known that he was going to be here or the fact that he was going to be a part of Donghyuck’s life. 

“I have my ways,” Renjun shrugged. “Plus, I died pretty suddenly. It was an unfair death. My soul wasn’t ready to move on yet. But you know that I love Donghyuck more than anything, right?”

Mark nodded once. He felt a rush of jealousy course through his veins, but he tried to bury the feeling down. He shouldn’t be feeling this type of way, he knew that. Instead he urged the younger boy to continue.

“Donghyuck was my entire world. I’m sure you know what I mean when I say that. Donghyuck is the sun that I’m always constantly in orbit around. He gives me warmth and light even on the coldest and darkest of the days. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. He was everything to me and more. So you have no idea how furious I was when those damn empousai killed me. Or when Charon cheated Donghyuck out of his soul exchange, which by the way, I'm so mad at Donghyuck for, because that was such a stupid move.

“As a soul that’s been violently killed or ripped away from the living world makes a very bitter one. I didn’t immediately leave to be sorted out in the afterlife. I willed my soul to linger around in the mortal world for just a little while longer because I had to make sure that Donghyuck was going to survive and that he was going to be okay. I needed to have that peace of mind before I could possibly move on forever.”

“But… Donghyuck died… so you move on but not all the way.” Mark spoke his thoughts out loud. 

Renjun nodded, eyes growing sad. “Yeah, sometimes I wished that I hadn’t linger because seeing Donghyuck so  _ heartbroken  _ over my death to the point that he was willingly to sell his soul away to get me back was awful. The pain that I felt and the pain that I had caused him would be something that I can never forget. After witnessing Donghyuck’s failed attempt at exchanging his soul for mine, I knew that I couldn’t move on. I had to make sure that Donghyuck was going to make it to where I was even without his soul. But you know how hard that is…”

“It’s nearly impossible to pass through the gates without a soul.”

“Exactly.” Renjun sighed. Lifting his gaze up from the ground, he looked at Mark in the eyes and said, “I waited for him, you know? I waited for him by the gates so that even if we couldn’t pass together, I could still be with him.”

Frowning, Mark shook his head, not understanding Renjun’s words. Lips parted in confusion, he said, “Donghyuck said that he couldn’t find you. If you had really waited by the gates like you had said you did then you two would have crossed each other’s paths.” 

“I waited as long as I could but the guards forced me through the gates no matter how much I had resisted. Souls couldn’t roam on their own like I was trying to or else it would be nothing but chaos. Lingering souls would create so many problems. There’s a reason why Charon comes to collect our souls the moment we take our last breath, it’s to prevent something like that from happening. But since Charon was so focused on Donghyuck’s soul at the time, he had forgotten about me. And it was too late when he remembered because I had already begun my roaming. It was pointless though because in the end I was still forced to leave Donghyuck behind.”

“It wasn’t pointless, Renjun…” he whispered, his heart reaching out for the boy. If he had been in the same exact situation as Renjun, Mark knew without a doubt that he would have done the same. 

“I guess not.” Renjun sighed, his shoulders falling. But then after a second thought, a tiny smile graced his lips. “Yeah, since I found out that you were going to come along and save my little Hyuckie.”

“How… did you know?” Mark stuttered out. Eyes wide and head spinning, he added, “Even I didn’t know that I was going to save him when I started this journey. I had an entirely different person in mind when I came down here.” 

“I may or may not have cross paths with an oracle and they gave me a prophecy.” Renjun beamed back at him. 

“Wait, what? You contacted an oracle? How?” 

“It was more so a gift from his father. Apollo gave me a little visit before I crossed.”

“Donghyuck’s father visited you?” Mark’s mind was blown. Why did Apollo visit Renjun but not Donghyuck? Suddenly he felt a surge of anger blossom in his heart. He was angry that Apollo had chosen to ignore his son. Johnny wasn’t that great at being a father either but at least he had shown to him at least once. Apollo had the chance to and he didn’t. That made him so angry. 

“Now before you get mad at him for not visiting Donghyuck, because believe me I was seething when he decided to visit me instead of his own son too, but he had a reason why he visited me instead.” Renjun explained. The younger boy could feel and see the rage that was radiating off of Mark’s body. Hands raised up in defense, he said, “Donghyuck was part of a prophecy that’s why Apollo was never able to come in contact with him even if he had wanted to.”

“What prophecy?” Mark asked. He wasn’t angry anymore but now he was incredibly confused. During this entire time, no one had mentioned any kind of prophecy to him. Head spinning as he tried to search for the answer, he sneaked a glance at his father, hoping that Johnny would have an answer for him. “Donghyuck and I were a part of a prophecy?”

Johnny nodded. “You two were.”

“Was that why you cut off all contact with me when I turned eleven?” 

“Once the prophecy was spoken, I didn’t have a choice. As your Godly parent, we weren’t able to interfere in any way.” 

Even after receiving the answer he had wanted, Mark left even more lost than he did from before. He had lived the past couple years of his life completely blindsided on the fact that he was part of a so-called prophecy. He and Donghyuck were meant to cross paths. They were supposed to be a part of each other’s lives at one point or another, it wasn’t a matter of how, it was simply a matter of when. 

“Tell me about the prophecy, Renjun.” 

“ A flower to bloom among the dead, A lost soul to arrive and a King to rise, Only to fall into the darkness filled with dread, where a long love will die, and a single choice shall decide his fate.”

As the last words fell from Renjun’s lips, Mark felt goosebumps rise up on his arms as the tips of his hair stood. In that very second, he felt like everything had stopped and everything had disappeared. The prophecy continued to repeat itself over and over in his head like a mantra. It’s words swirling and pounding in his skull.

The flower and the lost soul was undoubtedly in reference to Donghyuck. The king, Mark, wasn't all that sure about it, but he had sinking suspicion that it had meant him. Mark wasn’t a King though, he was barely a Prince. To fall into the darkness filled with dread must have been their journey through the labyrinth and Tartarus. During the entire journey, the intimate love that he thought he had for Lucas died, replacing it with the love of a friendship, the love of a brother. The single choice that would determine his fate, was him choosing Donghyuck over everything else every single time. He had chosen Donghyuck in the illusion courtesy of Aphrodite. He had chosen Donghyuck in the battle of the cursed ones. He had chosen Donghyuck as the soul he wanted to take back. 

“I hadn’t realized that we were part of a prophecy…,” Mark mumbled, his mind still reeling from the new found information that he received. Licking his chapped lips, he laughed drily, “Well, I guess that kind of explains a lot of things. Brings some context to what had happened to us.” 

Renjun nodded. “Sucks that no one told you two. You guys were led in the dark instead. I’m sorry. Had I known any earlier I would have tried to warn Donghyuck about it.”

“It’s a prophecy, there wasn’t much that you could do. Even if you had known earlier, telling us about it wouldn’t have done us any good. Us knowing about it wouldn’t have changed anything. All that happened would have still occurred. We couldn’t avoid it even if we tried to.” 

“I know,” Renjun sighed. “Still I wished there was something or anything else that I could have done. I mean it sucked even more that I knew about it and I couldn’t do anything because I was already dead.”

“It’s alright. Thank you for telling me about it though. I’m sure that Donghyuck would be  _ delighted  _ to hear about it when I go back.”

“That’s not the only thing that I wanted to talk to you about, Mark.” Renjun lifted his head up, blazing eyes drilling directly into the very pits of his soul. The sudden drop in the atmosphere made him shudder. 

Trying to keep calm, he asked tentatively, “What else did you want to talk to me about?”

“Donghyuck.”

“You want to talk to me about Donghyuck?” 

Renjun threw his head back and laughed. His eyes disappeared behind his smile as his laugh rang out into the meadows. Wiping away an imaginary tear at the corner of his eyes. “Really, Mark Lee? Are you really going to ask me that?”

“Uh, yes?” Mark’s eyebrows rose all the way up to his hairline as he watched Renjun continue to laugh as if his question was so ridiculously absurd and that it was the funniest thing in the world. During the time that the shorter boy had clutched onto his stomach, his shoulders shaking, Mark tried to find a reason why he was laughing so hard. 

“You know I loved Donghyuck right? And I still do.” Renjun began to explain once his laughs subsided, eyes twinkling as he spoke. His dark eyes burned but instead of blazing, they flickered like the warmth of a burning fireplace. 

“Yeah, I had figured so.” Mark nodded. Based on all the stories that Donghyuck had shared with him, he could tell that the feelings were mutual between them. 

“Then you should know that I really don’t like you.” 

His eyes widened, shocked at the words that Renjun had thrown at him. Mouth agape, he sputtered out, “What did I do? I literally just met you today, I couldn’t have possibly done anything to get on your bad side already.” 

“You love Donghyuck and that’s more than enough of a reason for me to dislike you.” 

“Okay…?”

“You’re living the life that I could only dream of.” Renjun sighed, his eyes losing their glowing embers once again. “You get to spend the rest of time with him, while I’m going to be all alone. Mark, you’ll get to do all the things that I never got a chance to do while I was alive. You’re able to love him unconditionally. You’re able to hold and kiss him any time that you wish to.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. It just wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure that I would have been a better lover towards Donghyuck more than you could ever be.” Renjun joked. A sad smile making its way onto his lips. “But the timing for us never worked out. We were almost lovers, Donghyuck and I, but that’s about all that we’ll ever be.” 

He felt a sharp pain stab him in the chest, because Renjun’s word hit way too close to home. He understood exactly what Renjun was talking about. Two people could be so in love with one another but if the timing wasn’t right for them, it didn’t matter because they would have never worked. 

“Donghyuck can be really stubborn at times but don’t let that deter you from loving and taking care of him to the absolute fullest. He loves to be independent and to do everything on his own because he’s seriously too proud to ask for help. But he’ll need help. He’ll need someone to take care of him because he’s an absolute baby, that I’m sure you already know without me having to tell you. He craves attention and is so needy, like ridiculously needy. Which is hilarious considering his independent nature. But please take care of him and love him as much as you can. For all of his life, he hasn’t been able to get the love that he deserves. I had tried but I wasn’t able to fully fill that void in him.”

“Donghyuck loves hard and fast, so that means that when he falls, he falls even harder. So promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll catch him. There’s going to be good times, I know that there’ll be lots of good times between you two but I also know that there’ll be bad times too. Promise me that even in those bad times, you won’t let Donghyuck fall, but if you do, please catch him. Or else he’s going to burn into ashes. Donghyuck is too bright to burn like that. He is the sun so he can’t fall or else there’ll be nothing but darkness. And in a world that is cloaked with darkness, it is a meaningless one.

“So promise me that you’ll do everything in our power to protect his smile. Promise me that you won’t let him fall, but if you do, you’ll be here to catch him. Promise me that you’ll love him more than enough for the both of us since I was never fully able to do so in the first place. Just promise me that you’ll love him endlessly, Mark, can you do that?”

“I promise.” Mark told him. His hands started to clench at his side as he replied, “I promise that I’ll protect his smile and that I won’t let him fall. I promise to love him until the end of time or until he doesn’t want me to love him anymore.”

Renjun laughed. “That’s never going to happen. Donghyuck is going to love you for the rest of his life and into the next one.”

“Then I’ll love him in this lifetime and the next.” Mark promised.

“Good, because if you don’t, I will come for your motherfucking ass, Mark Lee.”

“I’ll keep you to that, Huang Renjun.” 

.

It had been quiet when they left the stables but as they shadow traveled back to the fields right outside of the Palace, it was deathly silent. 

He hadn’t made as much of a peep since he had said goodbye to both Lucas and Renjun in the Asphodel Meadows. His mind was still spinning and it felt like it was going to burst any moment now. Mark wasn’t all too sure if that was the post shadow traveling exhaustion hitting him or from everything that Lucas and Renjun had told him. 

His father truly wasn’t much of a talker, the only time that Mark had seen him talk so freely was when he was around Taeyong. But Taeyong was a natural in pulling people out of their shells, especially Johnny. Taeyong was the only person that his father trusted and loved enough to let down all of his walls completely. When Johnny was with Taeyong, he was a whole different person. 

So when Johnny pulled his horse to a stop right outside the Palace stables and called out for him, Mark was surprised. 

Sucking in a breath, he looked over at his father with knitted brows, “Yes, Father?”

“You know that it was because of the prophecy that I stopped talking to you right? I didn’t have a choice. It’s the reason why I never called you to come visit or answer any of your calls.” Johnny told him, his voice growing incredibly soft. There was a tenderness to his voice that Mark didn’t know he was capable of. “I didn’t cut off all contact with you because I hated you or anything like that because I could never hate you, Mark. You’re my son, you’re my blood.” 

For the third time that night, Mark was rendered speechless. His heart drummed within his chest as he listened to Johnny tell him that he  _ did  _ care about him. Johnny did love him. 

“I wasn’t able to do anything, but that didn’t mean I didn’t try.” There was a smile gracing Johnny’s lips as he met Mark’s eyes for a second before gazing out into the distance. “I had Taeyong keep me updated on everything that was happening to you. I asked him to continue sending all of those gifts to you. I asked him to keep in touch with you so that you wouldn’t feel so lonely. I felt terrible because as a father I should be there with you every step of the way, guiding you to the best of my ability but I couldn’t. You may have been born out of an affair but that didn’t make me love you any less.”

The gaping void that he once felt as a result of his father’s absence began to fill up. The lack of acceptance and approval were all washed away at that very moment. In place of it was the warmth of a home that he had been missing for so long. He had been homesick since he was eleven and it was only now that he felt like he had returned back to where he belonged. 

Donghyuck had taught him that home didn’t have to be a place, instead it could be a person. Donghyuck had become Mark’s home during the journey and he will forever be Mark’s home.

The home that he had found within Donghyuck was different from the home that he had turned his back on and never came back to until now, no matter how much he had missed it. 

There was just something about going back to the place where you had grown up in. Despite not living in his father’s world for a very long time, Mark had called it home once. It had been a place that he had yearned for despite not knowing why he had yearned for it in the first place. It had been a place that he felt safe and warm. 

So as Johnny slid down from his horse and walked towards him with open arms, Mark didn’t hesitate to fall right into them. 

.

Donghyuck was sitting on the edge of his bed when he returned back to his room. The younger boy looked up the instant he entered, eyes wide and lips parted. 

Mark smiled and opened his arms wide, waiting for Donghyuck to slip into them, which the boy did. Arms wrapped right around his torso, Donghyuck’s words were muffled against his shirt. “I thought something had happened between you and your father. You were gone for so long…” 

Kissing the top of his head, Mark gave out a long side and rested his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder as everything that had happened that day finally sunk in. “I’m sorry that I made you worry, baby.” 

“It’s fine. I’m happy that you’re alright. That’s the only thing that matters.” 

Pulling away so that he can drown himself in those honey brown eyes that he loved so much, Mark whispered, “Come on, let’s go to bed. We’ve both had a long day.” 

Donghyuck shook his head, hands gripping tightly onto his waist. “No, not yet. I want to hear about what happened.” 

Mark had figured that he would have been curious about where he had gone or what had happened. Nodding, he began pulling their bodies towards the bed, promising, “I’ll tell you everything. Let’s go lay down on the bed first, I’m tired.” 

He climbed into the bed first, lifting the covers so that Donghyuck could slip into the empty space right beside him. Once they were all settled in, he pulled Donghyuck close so that he would lay on his chest. Fingers mindlessly carding their way through Donghyuck’s soft hair, he said, “I met Lucas today.” 

“Oh,” Donghyuck breathed out, his entire body still in Mark’s arm. “How did that go?” 

“It went fine. He wanted to talk to me one last time before his soul completely moved on. It was nice. It was the closure that I needed.” Mark told him, fingers still brushing through his hair. 

“That’s good. I’m glad that you were able to talk to him one last time. Both of you deserved it.” 

He hummed, agreeing with Donghyuck. He did need closure. “I also met Renjun.” 

Donghyuck’s breath hitched as he pushed against Mark’s chest and sat upright. “You met Renjun?” 

Mark nodded. “Yeah, I met Renjun.  _ Your _ Renjun.” 

“What… did he say?” Donghyuck whispered, his words barely audible. 

“He told me about you guys and how much he loves you. He also told me about how he tried to wait for you.” 

“He waited for me?” Donghyuck gasped. 

He nodded once more. Grasping the hand that Donghyuck had on his chest, the area right above his heart, he said, “Yeah, Renjun waited for you.” 

“Why?” 

“He couldn’t move on knowing what had happened to you, Hyuck. Renjun couldn’t possibly move on when he knew that you had tried to exchange your soul for his and failed. He couldn’t move on knowing that you were in pain and unhappy.” Mark explained. Then reaching out, he touched the sides of Donghyuck’s cheek, urging the boy to look at him. As their eyes met, he added softly, “I wouldn’t have been able to either.” 

“But I didn’t see him when I died.” Donghyuck whispered. His voice was a combination of disbelief and dejection. Shaking his head sadly, he asked softly, “Where was he when I finally arrived at the gates? And how come you got to see him but not me?”

“His soul had to pass through the gates. He wanted to wait for you a little longer but they forced him through the gates. He didn’t have much of a choice.” Mark explained, his heart clenching painfully in his chest at the sight of the glistening tears forming in Donghyuck’s eyes. He reached out and wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes, whispering, “The only reason that I was able to see is because this is my father’s realm. Trust me, Donghyuck if either of us had the ability for you to meet him again, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I would have even begged my father if I had to if it meant the two of you could see each other for one last time.” 

“What else did he say to you?” Donghyuck’s voice shook as he laid back on Mark’s chest. He weaved his around his waist again, snuggling in close, seeking comfort in Mark’s arms. 

“He asked me to promise him a couple of things in regards to you.” 

“Such as?”

“That he’ll come back from Elysium and kick my ass if I made you sad or break your heart.” Mark answered, tone light. Squeezing their clasped hands, he added, “Just the typical things a past ex would say, you know.” 

“Oh, shut up, Mark.” Donghyuck giggled, his tears now all dried up and a tiny smile on his face. “I know for a fact that he definitely did not say that. Or if he did, he definitely would have said something more than that.”

Mark parted his lips to say more but he held back for he wasn’t sure if telling Donghyuck about Renjun meeting his father would be a good idea or not. But if there was something that he was sure of, it was that he didn’t want to hide anything between him and Donhyuck. He saw firsthand how keeping secrets was a terrible idea. He needed to be transparent with Donghyuck, Mak knew that. 

So before he began, he took a deep breath and held onto Donghuck’s hands. “Renjun also told me about how he met your father on the way down here…”

Donghyuck made a weak noise in the back of his throat, body growing rigid. “He met my father…?”

“Yeah, Apollo came to visit him before he crossed the gates.”

“Why?”

“Renjun tried lingering around because he died an angry death. Souls who died a violent or unfair death tend to linger before crossing so that they can either get revenge or settle something. He had refused to move on even though he needed to. I guess your father met him in order to help him move on.” Mark began to explain. He took a glance down at Donghyuck trying to see how the boy was reacting to the news but Donghyuck had his face buried deep into his chest, wholeheartedly avoiding his gaze. “Apparently your father had seen that I would come and save you. He had to tell Renjun about it so he could move on. It’s also the reason why Renjun was waiting to talk to me. He only knew I would be together with you because your father told him about me.”

“So, my father saw a prophecy through his oracle.” Donghyuck stated. 

“Yeah, he did. That’s also the reason why he wasn’t able to get in touch with you or see you this entire time. When the god’s children are a part of a prophecy, they’re not allowed to visit them at all because it might affect the outcome of the prophecy.” 

“Well, it would have been nice to have been told that I was a part of some damn prophecy. It would have made me feel a whole lot better since there was a valid reason why my father wasn’t talking or visiting me. And not that I wasn't worth his time or some bullshit.”

“I know, baby. I know.” Mark kissed the top of Donghyuck’s curly hair and ran a soothing hand down his back. “I’m sorry that everything happened the way that it did. You truly didn’t deserve it.”

“That only makes one of us then.” Donghyuck let out a breathy laugh, snuggling deeper into Mark’s chest and holding onto him a little tighter. “Because I am not sorry for everything that has happened. Far from it actually.” 

“I don’t understand…”

“Because if things hadn’t worked the way it did then there’s a chance that I might have never met you, Mark, and that would be awful. I don’t know what I would do if I hadn’t met you.”

“I would have found you regardless. I would have searched to the ends of the earth if it meant that I would have met you. I would gladly endure Tartarus again if it meant that I would get to see you on the other side.”

Donghyuck kept quiet as Mark’s words rang out into the night, full of confidence. Then after a moment, he lifted his head from Mark’s chest and leant up so that they were eye to eye. Even in the dark, Mark could see the flecks of gold within his eyes, it was gorgeous. Even though Mark had gazed into them so many times now, he will never grow tired of how they managed to take his breath away every time, without fail. 

“I love you, Mark Lee.” Donghyuck whispered, his warm breath kissing Mark’s lips. 

Mark tilted his head forward, closing the distance, and answering, “I love you too, Lee Donghyuck.” 

.

The next morning, Johnny and Taeyong were already in the foyer of the Palace, waiting for them to come down. Before he could reach the bottom step, Taeyong walked right to him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. “Come visit more often alright? I’ve missed you.”

Returning the embrace, Mark nodded into his shoulder, tightening his arms around the older. “Yeah. We’ll come visit, don’t worry.”

“If you don’t, I’ll be there during the last days of Summer to drag you back down, you hear me?” Taeyong threatened, but his words didn’t hold any heat. “Johnny won’t be able to do anything to save you if you end up in my hands.”

“I know.” Mark laughed, the warmth in his chest spreading throughout his whole body. “I promise to visit when I can. I’ll bring Donghyuck too.”

“Of course you will. I like my son-in-law much better than you anyways.” 

The tips of his ear burned as he stuttered out, “I am… very much offended that you like him better…”

Taeyong shrugged his shoulders, pulling back from the embrace before reaching behind him to pull Donghyuck into his arms. Resting his chin affectionately on the top of Donghyuck’s head, he said, “I mean how could you not love this cute face?” Then turning down to look at Donghyuck in the eyes, he added, “Isn’t that right, Hyuckie?”

“Hyuckie?” Mark sputtered, nearly choking on his own spit at the sudden nickname. 

Within Taeyong arms Donghyuck smiled cheekily back at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. Sticking his tongue out at Mark, he said with a nod, “That’s right, I’m the favorite child now. You’ve been knocked off the pedestal.” 

“I am hurt, Taeyong.” Mark said out loud with a pout. He had always been Taeyong’s favorite ever since the first time that they met. He was irreplaceable. As much as he hated the title, he was the Prince. And how could anyone possibly replace a prince? It seemed like Donghyuck could because the younger boy was now in a deep conversation with Taeyong. They had forgotten all about his presence. 

“Not that it really matters, but you’ll always be my favorite, Mark.” He heard Johnny say as he walked up to stand beside him. Mark felt a firm hand come down on his shoulder before he was tugged in again for another embrace. This time around it was from his father. 

Peering up to meet Johnny’s doting gaze, Mark felt the corners of his lips tug up into a smile. “Well that’s comforting to know that at least I’m still someone’s favorite around here.”

“Make that two, because you’re my favorite too.” 

Mark tore his eyes away from his father’s dark ones and found himself drowning again in honey brown. His entire body felt so warm that he was sure that someone could fry an egg on his forehead right at that moment. He did nothing to stop the silly, lovestruck grin from forming on his face as he withdrew from Johnny’s arms and walked towards Donghyuck. 

Sneaking his arms around Donghyuck’s waist, he kissed the boy’s temple. “Good. I would be rather heartbroken if I wasn’t.” 

“And people say that I’m the dramatic one.” Donghyuck grumbled into his chest. 

“That’s because you are, baby. Theatrics run in your blood.” 

“You just like to make fun of me, don’t you?”

Mark shook his head, smiling fondly down at Donghyuck. “Nope, that would be you. You’re the one that likes to make fun of me, you practically thrive off of my pain.” 

“You’re insufferable, Mark Lee.” 

“But you love me regardless.” 

“Unfortunately, I do.” Donghyuck hummed in response, cheeks flushed as he smiled. “I love you a lot.”

Once again, Mark found himself drowning in Donghyuck’s eyes and the fire in his heart burning to its fullest. With Donghyuck, he felt like everything was okay. He felt like there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t do. There was no limit when he had Donghyuck by his side. Especially not when he had all of Donghyuck’s love and support. In this lifetime and the next, he just needed Donghyuck. 

Before he could return those words back to the golden boy, Taeyong let out an extremely dramatic sigh and shoved them towards the doors, effectively breaking the tranquil moment that they had shared. Ushering them out, he said, “Alright you love birds, get on with your journey. It’s about time that two of you make it back to camp. Gods knows how long you’ve been gone, Mark. Don’t put poor Doyoung into a heart attack for thinking that he lost a child of one of the Big Three.” 

Rolling his eyes, he twisted out from Taeyong’s pushing arm only to lean in to give him one last proper hug. “You just want us gone so that you can have Johnny all to yourself. We know of your plan, Taeyong. You’re not that sneaky.”

“Well, I am pleased that you and I are on the same page.” Taeyong clapped his hands together in excitement as Johnny let out a loud and embarrassed cough. Then as an afterthought, he said, “But it wasn’t like I was trying to be sneaky anyways.”

“Goodbye, Taeyong.” Mark laughed. Eyes drifting from Taeyong to Johnny, he bid his father a goodbye as well. “I’ll see you soon. Thank you for everything.”

Johnny nodded. “Answer our Iris Messages when we call.”

“I will.” 

.

They were nearing the edge of the Underworld’s borders when Mark stopped to ask, “Are you ready?”

“Not really,” Donghyuck laughed, his voice shaking. “But it’s not like we really have a choice, do we?”

“No, we don’t.” Mark agreed solemnly. 

He turned to look at Donghyuck’s physical form one last time before he went back to being a soul because the moment that they cross the borders, he won’t be able to see or hear Donghyuck anymore. Mark looked at Donghyuck’s face and tried to commit everything that he saw to memory. He filed away the image of the beautiful scatters of light freckles amongst the beauty marks on Donghyuck’s face. He took in Donghyuck’s golden, sunkissed skin. Looking down at their intertwined hands, he relished in the feeling of the warmth that is radiating off of them, giving him the comfort that he needed. Then he drew his eyes back up to Donghyuck perfect, brown eyes, smiling as he allowed himself to drown in them one more time. 

Mark took one step to close the distance between them. Standing so that they’re toe to toe, lips a mere breath away from each other, he whispered softly, “I love you.”

Donghyuck’s lips are trembling as they try to form a smile on his lips. Mark watched as Donghyuck let out a shaky exhale, his warm breath caressing Mark’s lips. “I love you too.” 

“We got this, baby. I got you.” Mark said before he pressed his lips against Donghyuck. 

“I know you do.” Donghyuck mumbled against his lips as his hands untangled themselves from their clasp hands and found its way into Mark’s hair. “If you don’t, then who else will?”

Their lips touched one another again, sweet and chaste. Though it was short, the kiss had left him breathless and burning to his bones. He was the first to pull away because if he didn’t, they would spend the rest of their lives kissing one another, which he didn’t particularly mind, but they needed to leave. 

Mark squeezed their clasped hands once before dropping it. Taking a deep breath, Mark tried to calm his racing heart. “Well, here goes nothing, I guess.”

He stepped across the borders first. When his right foot came down on the ground, he felt the air shift, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand. The warmth that he had once felt radiating from Donghyuck’s body disappeared. In place of it, there was nothing but an empty coldness.

The endless chatter that Donghyuck had always managed to do in order to fill in the empty space was nonexistence. Although he loved it when Donghyuck would talk his ears off, the comforting silence that they would share from time to time was nice. Even without words, simply feeling and being in the presence of one another was okay. But right now, he felt nothing and that terrified him. 

The aching in his chest returned and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He took another shaky breath before taking another step forward, and another. With each step that he took, he felt the throbbing pain stabbing at his heart. 

Mark probably didn’t even make it more than a few feet from the borders when he felt the need to stop. At his abrupt stop, Mark could feel the tension in the air, which he could only assume came from the fear that Donghyuck had. 

Sighing, Mark knew exactly what fear Donghyuck had. “I know, I’m not going to look around. I know the rules and conditions of taking a dead soul back.” He kicked at the rocks at his feet. Licking his chapped lips, he said, “But I have a couple things I just want to say before we continue on.”

Half of him had expected Donghyuck to spit out something witty, because it was something that the younger boy would do. But he didn’t and Mark wasn’t able to stop the disappointment from seeping into his body, even though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to. 

“I want to let you know that for whatever reason, if you can’t make it out of here with me...” he began to say, only pausing to take a breath. 

Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the pain in his heart. Mark couldn’t bare the thought of Donghyuck not coming out with him in the end. He really didn’t want to think about it at all, but it was the reality of things. There was a possibility that Donghyuck might not be there at the end of the journey with him and he had to come to terms with it. 

Parting his lips, saying, “If my father had tricked me, I promise that I will come back for you, okay? I will come back for you, I swear on the River Styx.”

.

Like the first time he had traveled through the Underworld and the labyrinth. Mark began to lose track of time after a while. Minutes started to blend together with the hours and he just didn’t know anymore. Without the warmth that Donghyuck had to keep him warm and secure, he started to grow restless when they first entered the labyrinth. Every little sound kept him on edge. It really didn’t help that the labyrinth was very much alive, always creating new sections and growing larger. When it creaked and moaned around him as it grew, he had to resist the urge to look behind him for the source of the sound even when he already knew where it was. Mark also had to resist the urge to look behind to check up on Donghyuck to make sure that his soul was still following him or if anything had happened to him during their journey. 

The longer he traveled and continued to walk into the absolute darkness, he got more and more anxious. The hair on the back of his neck stood and his hands were beginning to grow so sweaty that he had to constantly wipe them against his shirt. The silence was overbearing, and he hated it. 

When his eyes started to glaze over and he couldn’t see anything in front of him anymore, even in the dark, Mark had decided that he had traveled for long enough. His body was starting to grow fatigued too. He needed to rest because it wouldn’t do him any good if any monsters or rogue travelers chose to attack him then he would need to be prepared to fight back. But right now, he could barely walk properly, much less put up a decent fight. 

Falling asleep in the labyrinth alone with no one to keep watch over him as he rested was a terrible idea but he didn’t have much of a choice. He was practically on his own this time around, Donghyuck wouldn’t be able to do anything to help. 

It was when he began to pull his sleeping bag out from his bag and lay it on the cold, concrete ground that he thought about how truly lucky he was that he crossed paths with Donghyuck at the beginning of his journey. There was no way that he could have survived the entire journey alone. He was a child of the Big Three so he was strong, but it still would have been difficult doing everything by himself. 

Mark was thankful that he had someone he could count on. Even for the little things, such as falsely telling him that everything will be okay even when it wasn’t. He was  _ so  _ thankful for Donghyuck’s existence in his life. 

So as he closed his eyes for the night, making sure to not turn around to look behind him when he crawled into his sleeping bag, he whispered into the cold corridors, “I love you, Donghyuck.”

Just as the edges of sleep reeled him in, Mark felt a warm breeze caress his face and he couldn’t help but imagine that it was Donghyuck’s hand touching him. With that single thought floating through his mind, he went to sleep with a smile on his lips. 

.

Mark felt disappointment coursing through his body when he woke up and he realized that he was still in the labyrinth. He fell asleep in darkness and woke up to it. He hated it. 

He yearned to see the light of day. He wanted to see the blue skies and soft, white clouds. He wanted to feel the warm rays of the sun kiss his skin and take away the coldness that he was currently drowning in. He wanted to hear the sound of the birds chirping and smell the salty summer air. 

But most of all, he wanted Donghyuck. 

He wanted to see his eyes filled. He wanted to feel the warmth of Donghyuck’s body on his as they laid in each other’s arms and his fingers running through his soft curls. He wanted to hear Donghyuck’s soft giggles but equally obnoxious laughs. He wanted to taste the sweetness of Donghyuck’s lips on his as they kissed. 

Mark wanted Donghyuck. 

But he couldn’t have him, at least not yet. He would eventually and that fact was the only thing that was holding him together. It was the only thing that was giving him strength to move on to continue until the end and not to give up. 

So he did, he gathered all of his items and put them back into his backpack before continuing down the corridors. One look at his golden compass and it told him that he would have to make a turn soon enough, he could only hope that he was choosing the right corridor when he came face to face with the split tunnels. 

As he walked forward, entering the left corridor, Mark realized why Orpheus was so tempted to turn around even when the end was near. Although he knew that Donghyuck was right behind him in every step he took, he couldn’t help but let his mind stray to the thoughts of what ifs. What if Donghyuck wasn’t and he truly had been traveling alone this entire time? What if something had happened to Donghyuck halfway and he didn’t realize it? 

These kinds of thoughts begin to plague his mind when he’s by himself, alone and only his deepest fears that arise to keep him company. The thoughts started to grow and crawl into the darkest of places, even darker than the pits of Tartarus, bringing forth things that he thought he had managed to bury away or lock up. 

Mark was tempted to look behind him when these thoughts started to manifest and plug themselves into his brain like a tumor, clouding all his senses and attacking him at where he’s the most insecure. He almost did, but as he saw a sliver of light filtering through the end of the tunnel, seeping through from the cracks in the walls, Mark was reminded of what would happen to Donghyuck if he did. If he caved to his insecurities and looked behind him, Donghyuck would disappear. He wouldn’t be able to have Donghyuck anymore. 

Being without Donghyuck for the second half of the journey temporarily was already enough to drive him mad, Mark wasn’t sure what or how he would be if he would be without Donghyuck permanently. 

Shaking those thoughts and fears from his mind, Mark took a deep breath and continued forward. As he got closer to the end, he began to pick up his pace, until he was full fledged running out of the corridor. His steps echoed off the walls just as loudly as the blood pumping his ears. 

Mark searched for the glowing delta sign and once he did, he pushed against it, chest heaving up and down as he waited for the corridor to open. The walls rumbled and flecks of debris kicked up in the air as it opened, bringing in even more light. As the first rays of the sun touched his skin, Mark almost cried. He hadn’t felt the warmth of the real sun on his skin in so long he had almost forgotten how it felt. It was nothing in comparison to the warmth that Donghyuck could give but it was still better than the bleak coldness he had felt. He welcomed the sun’s warmth with open arms and took a step outside. 

The corners of his lips quirked upwards as he breathed in the fresh summer air. The blazing heat that he had once hated so much, he embraced it fully. He kept on walking further, distancing himself from the cursed labyrinth until he was in the very center of the forest, looking up at the tall oak trees that surrounded him. He walked until he was sure that he was far away enough from the labyrinth that it was safe for him to turn around. Mark wanted to make sure that both him and Donghyuck were out of the labyrinth completely before he would turn around. He didn’t want all of their effort to go to waste.

As his heartbeat slowed down and his mind grew clearer, Mark took another deep breath, and prayed to the Gods that Donghyuck would be there right behind him when he looked back. He also prayed to them to give him the strength he would need to survive if Donghyuck wasn’t there behind him. 

Mark had faith that Donghyuck would be there though, in his true form and not a soul. Biting his lips, Mark closed his eyes once before turning around asking, “Donghyuck?” 


	7. Seven - Epilogue

As a child of the sun, Donghyuck was radiating under the sun, always. But as he laid with his back against the cool, damp grass, gazing at the boy beside him touched by the light of the moon, Mark couldn’t help but think that Donghyuck was ethereal. 

Donghyuck glowed just as intensely under the moon as he did under the sun. His eyes twinkled like the stars in the night sky and a smile brighter than anything else in the universe. Their hands were intertwined with one another, thumbs running across knuckles with care. But with Donghyuck’s free hand, he reached it out towards the sky, towards the stars.

“Do you know any of the constellations in the sky, Mark?” 

Mark shook his head, eyes never straying from Donghyuck’s face. “No, I don’t.” Instead of following the lines that Donghyuck was drawing in the night sky connecting the stars in their constellation patterns, he was more focused on the ones that Donghyuck had scattered across his cheeks. Those constellations, he knew about, but not the ones in the sky. He didn’t have a single clue about any of the ones in the sky. 

“Seriously? You don't know any of them?” Donghyuck exclaimed, his head snapping to the side to look at Mark in the eyes. “Can you at least point out where the North Star is? By Gods, you have to at least know that one.”

Unwillingly, he tore his gaze away from Donghyuck’s pretty face and turned to look at the night sky. He could feel Donghyuck’s eyes on him as he tried to search the night sky for this so-called North Star. 

It was a clear night, the summer breeze caressing their skin. There were hardly any clouds, allowing all the stars to shine to its fullest. It was beautiful. But not as beautiful as Donghyuck. Nothing could ever be as beautiful as Donghyuck. 

But as he searched the sky for the star that Donghyuck was talking about, he saw one that was brighter than the rest. Pointing towards it, he looked back at Donghyuck, whispering, “That’s the North Star.” 

“Oh, good. Yeah, that’s the North Star, Polaris.” Donghyuck sighed out breathlessly. Then letting out a tiny giggle, he said, “For a second there, I was losing faith in your astrology abilities.” 

“My apologies,” Mark rolled his eyes. “They didn’t teach us about the stars here.”

“Well, good thing that you have me as your teacher because I’m the best.” Donghyuck stated with a dazzling smile. Donghyuck moved a little closer to him until their shoulders were touching and his head was resting down on Mark’s shoulders. After he got comfortable, Donghyuck began to reach out towards the night sky again. “If you know where Polaris is, then you’ll be able to find a lot of the constellations in the sky. Not all, but most.” 

“Okay. Find Polaris and I’ll find the others.”

“Yes.” 

Donghyuck grabbed his hand and used his finger to trace the constellations in the sky. He heard him saying something about the Big Dipper. Donghyuck started to sprout some more things about the stars and their names, but Mark didn’t really pay much attention to it. Like the first time that Donghyuck had spoken about them, Mark was too focused on the constellations on his cheeks to see the actual stars that he was talking about. 

Before he could try to attempt to understand the mini astrology lecture that Donghyuck was giving, it had already ended by the time he tore his eyes away from his sun kissed skin and looked back at the sky. 

Donghyuck gave out a huff, dropping his hold on Mark’s finger instantly as he realized that the older boy hadn’t been paying any attention to anything that he had just said. “You didn’t hear anything did you?” Pushing Mark away from him, he crossed his arms and pouted. “I wasted my own precious time teaching you about the stars and you ignored it. Lovely.” 

“No, I paid attention.” Mark countered.

“Sure, you did.”

“I did.”

“Fine, then point out the Big Dipper to me then.” 

Mark propped himself up on his elbows and leant in close to the golden boy sprawled out on the grass. Gently placing his index finger on the beauty mark right below Donghyuck’s cheekbone he began connecting them. His finger moved from the mole on his cheeks to the one under his eyes and then down to the one by his nose. Words barely above a whisper, almost carried away by the summer breeze, he said, “There, the Big Dipper.” 

Donghyuck was staring up at him with parted lips. Mark watched the way the glow of the moon reflected off of his brown eyes, illuminating his entire face. He looked beautiful, Mark thought. But Donghyuck was always beautiful. 

He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Donghyuck laid there underneath him, eyes blinking owlishly. There was a glaze in his eyes as his mind was trying to process what Mark just did. Mark could see how his brain had practically short circuited, it was adorable. 

The younger boy would always tease and joke about how easy it was to get Mark to become flustered but what Donghyuck didn’t know was that it was just as easy to make him flustered. A simple move could render him completely speechless as a rosy blush bloomed across his face. 

“I can’t believe that you just did that…” Donghyuck managed to stutter out, his cheeks burning. 

Mark grinned, leaning down even closer to say, “Well, I did. Am I right, the Big Dipper?”

“You’re completely wrong. But I’ll still give you full points for effort and for making my heart feel like it’s about to jump out of my chest.” 

He flopped back down onto the grass and laughed, his voice ringing into the night. Mark could feel Donghyuck’s stare but he doesn’t mind because he was too busy clutching onto his stomach at the facial expression that Donghyuck had on his face. His cheeks were aching from how wide the smile on his lips was. 

“Where did you learn to make a move like that? I know full well that you did not just come up with that on the fly. You’re not capable of being cheesy like that.” 

“Hey, that’s mean, Hyuckie.” Mark said once he was able to stop his laughs and giggles. Pouting, Mark pushed Donghyuck further away from him, “I am capable of being cute too you know?”

“Yeah, I know now.” Donghyuck commented, inching closer to the older boy until his head was resting comfortably on Mark’s shoulders again. “And you’re mean too.”

“Not as much as you are though.” Mark wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s body and buried his nose into Donghyuck’s hair, taking in his sweet, summer scent. Then threading his fingers through the hand that Donghyuck had resting on his chest, he said, “Alright, tell me all about the stars. I promise I’ll listen this time.” 

Donghyuck looked up at him for a moment, wide eyes piercing into his soul. They stayed like that, lost in each other's eyes, neither one of them making a move to break the eye contact. 

Mark had thought he was just imagining it but he swore he saw sadness flash across those eyes for a second. But he knew that he hadn’t mistaken it when Donghyuck simply tucked his head under his chin and tightened his fingers around Mark’s hand. Feeling the sudden drop in mood, Mark leant down to kiss Donghyuck once right on his temple. 

He untangled their fingers to tilt Donghyuck’s face up towards his so that he could look into those eyes that he loved so much. “Baby? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” 

Stargazing was a thing that Donghyuck and Renjun had done a lot of when they traveled together. Renjun was also Donghyuck’s first love. A first love was always hard to move on from, he knew that firsthand, because they were your first heartbreak too. They gave you the raging butterflies within your stomach for the first time, a feeling so intense that you just want to throw up. It’s also the first time that you feel a warmth like no other, blossoming in your chest until it lit you up completely. Feelings like that are hard to forget. 

Donghyuck hesitated and Mark had half the mind to move onto a new topic completely. But before he could suggest something else, the younger boy finally spoke up. “Alright, listen up then because I’m not repeating myself.” Donghyuck told him as he began to raise his finger back towards the night sky and draw on it. 

His eyes lingered on Donghyuck’s face for a moment longer as he tried to decipher the emotions that Donghyuck was trying so hard to hide. The both of them had pasts that they hadn't fully disclosed with one another but Mark was okay with it. They both needed time to process and heal from it before they would even be able to tell each other about it. He knew that once he did, Donghyuck would be without a doubt the first person he would tell it to. And he could only hope that Donghyuck would do the same. Mark had an inkling that he would. 

“Stop staring at my face. That’s not where the stars are dummy.” Donghyuck huffed out, eyes turning to meet his own again. Then with narrowed eyes, the boy added, “And don’t you dare say something cheesy again, Mark Lee.” 

“Okay, I won’t.” He replied back, sniffling a tiny chuckle too. “Now, come on, tell me about the stars. That is only if you want to.” 

Donghyuck grinned. “No, I want to. So, listen.” His finger was pointing to the North Star again, “Since you know where the North Star is, you can use it as a reference point to look for the other constellations in the sky. You can also use the Big Dipper as a guide to find the next one.”

“Which other ones are there?”

“A lot,” Donghyuck answered before he pointed to another set of stars right below the Big Dipper, “but I think you’ll like this one. This is the Leo.”

“My birth sign.” He whispered. Mark focused on the cluster of stars that Donghyuck was pointing at, trying his hardest to make out the shape of the Leo, but he saw nothing. 

“Yeah, it’s your birth sign. If you follow straight down from the two stars that make the end of the Dipper, they’re called Dubhe and Merak, you’ll reach the Leo constellation. The main star of Leo is Regulus. The head of the lion kind of looks like a backwards question mark, with the mark being Regulus. Do you see it?”

Mark followed the imaginary lines that Donghyuck had drawn, connecting all of the stars together. At first, it just seemed like Donghyuck was just drawing random lines in the night sky. But as he continued to watch his finger trace the Leo in the sky, from the top of it’s head to the bottom, he began to see the image of the lion a little clearer. 

Reaching up towards the sky, he began to connect the stars too. He started at the top of the backwards question curving downwards until he reached Regulus, then ending it at the bottom. “Yeah, the Leo, I can see it now.” 

“See, that wasn’t so hard was it?” The boy in his arms said through soft giggles. 

Making Donghyuck’s smile, Mark shook his head. “Nothing is ever hard when it’s with you, baby.” 

He chuckled when he saw the way the red color appeared on his skin, even in the dark he could see how flustered Donghyuck had gotten. It was cute when he was able to render the talkative boy speechless. Mark took pride in his ability to do so. 

“Shut up…,” Donghyuck stuttered out, hiding his face back into Mark’s chest. 

“You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed, Hyuck.” 

“It’s great to know that you live off of my pain and suffering.”

“You do the same too, Hyuck. And don’t you dare deny it because you know it’s the truth.”

Although Donghyuck hadn’t uttered a single word in response, Mark knew that the younger boy had admitted defeat. Instead of adding more fuel to the fire and further embarrassing Donghyuck, Mark decided that he would stop his teasing for the night. 

Two points for Mark Lee, zero points for Lee Donghyuck, only for that night though. For their actual running score though, Donghyuck had his ass whooped. 

Donghyuck was always the best one when it came to coming up with witty and snarky insults on the fly. He was also fiercely competitive whereas Mark wasn’t, which was fine because he loved the happiness that radiated off of Donghyuck when he would beat Mark in anything they did. If his pride and ego needed to be a little beaten down in order for Donghyuck to be happy like that, he’ll take the hit anyday. He would do anything to keep that beautiful smile on Donghyuck’s face and to keep the fire burning within those honey brown eyes. 

When Donghyuck finally overcame his embarrassment, he gazed back up at the stars and whispered into the night, “Ad astra per aspera.”

“To the stars through difficulties.” Mark answered back as he held Donghyuck a little tighter in his arms. 

.

Mark woke up to a mouth full of curly brown hair and warm arms wrapped so tightly around his body that it was almost hard to breathe. Despite his obvious discomfort, he didn’t dare to make any movement, fearing that it would wake Donghyuck up. Honestly speaking, if he hadn’t had a mouth full of hair and the air squeezed out of his lungs, he would have enjoyed cuddling a lot more. 

Donghyuck was warm. He was always warm because he was Donghyuck and Donghyuck embodied the sun. Mark loved the feeling of his body pressed into his side. Their hearts were in complete sync with one another, beating as one. 

Carefully sliding one hand from out under Donghyuck, he gently pushed back the tuft of hair away from his face. As he did so, he caught sight of the way Donghyuck’s lips were slightly parted, letting out a cute snore every so often. Donghyuck’s face was squished against his chest in a manner that made his cheeks even more pinchable than before. Mark had to fight the urge to reach out and pinch them for they were so damn adorable.

Although it was summer year round at camp, the mornings were still fairly chilly, especially when they had spent the entire night outside underneath the stars. The grass that they laid on was wet from the morning dew, soaking the back of his t-shirt the longer they laid there. The skies had faded out from the dark purples from the previous night. Now streaks of red and orange were coming in as the bright morning sun followed right behind it. 

The sun’s golden rays began to touch the edge of camp, casting away the darkness with its light. Mark watched as the sun continued to climb higher and higher into the sky, until it shone down right on them, warming them up. As the sun kissed his cheeks, he glanced down at the still sleeping boy in his arms. Even with the sun shining down on his face, Donghyuck was still fast asleep. The change in light didn’t affect him at all, but then again he was a child of the sun. Donghyuck must have been immune to its effects. 

Donghyuck wore the sun’s rays like it was his purpose in life to glow as radiately the golden sphere in the sky. He took it and drowned in it until he shined from head to toe, inside and out. He had captured the sunshine so well that everywhere he went, he left the remnants of summer in his path, filled with loud laughs and warm hugs. Donghyuck was a golden thing that held so much love and goodness in such a dark, heavy world. He was the light that Mark needed in his life. Donghyuck was his own personal sunshine and he was perfect. 

Mark had never believed in soulmates until now. 

He had never believed in it until he met Donghyuck. 

From the moment that he had met Donghyuck, Mark knew that he was special, he just didn’t know just how  _ special  _ Donghyuck would be to him. When he saw those cute eyes, Mark felt it in his heart, in his soul, a connection that he hadn’t felt with anyone else. He knew deep in his heart that although they had just met, Mark knew that their souls had met before in previous lives that he could not remember. The connection he felt pulled him closer to the golden boy, like gravity, putting them in constant orbit around one another. Mark was the planet orbiting around the sun that was Donghyuck. No matter where Donghyuck would go, he would follow along blindingly even. 

The longer he stayed in orbit with Donghyuck, the greater the love he felt and the deeper it grew, until he had doubted that he had experienced a love like this with anyone else. Donghyuck understood him in ways that no one else could ever do. Donghyuck connected with him in every way and level possible. They were each other’s perfect halves and they came together to make a perfect whole. Donghyuck gave him a sense of peace and calmness that he had always dreamed of. 

With Donghyuck, Mark had found a place for his love to call a home. He hadn’t been sure at first but he knew it now. Donghyuck was a blessing to him, one that he didn’t think he would ever deserve but he did. He had many thoughts and questions about love, ones that he searched and wanted answers to. As he stared down at Donghyuck, he didn't really care to find them anymore, for they had found each other and that’s all that really matters. 

Mark had never believed in the timing of things until now. 

He had never believed that there was such a thing as perfect timing until now. 

Time is a hard thing to handle because it had a mind of its own and it listened to absolutely no one.  Time is a fickle thing. It is controlled by no one, but it controlled everyone. It slowed down for no one. It sped up for no one.

His timing was never right, always a little too soon or a little too late. But with Donghyuck, it was always perfect. 

Many people in his life have spoken about how timing was everything. One second could mean the difference between life or death. One second could mean the difference between winning and losing. They also spoke about the perfect timing of things, where there was a fleeting rightness of time and place that will create the most delicate, crucial moment. 

And Mark was sure that he had experienced a perfect moment with Donghyuck. 

It was the reason why nothing he ever did matched up with time. He was never able to find that perfect timing until Donghyuck appeared in his life and he understood why things never worked out until now. Every choice he made was always off, especially those regarding love because they were never with the right person. The Gods must have seen that, so they made him fail each time he tried because they knew there was going to be someone else for him, he just hadn’t seen it back then. He had been clouded by the idea of love and rushed into it head on even when it wasn’t, at least not in the way he had irrationally thought it was. 

As he looked down at Donghyuck, Mark couldn't help but feel thankful that his timing was never right because if it had been, then he would have never met him. And that would have been a terrible loss for him because Donghyuck was the most perfect thing in the world. If he wasn’t, then Donghyuck was the most perfect person for him to spend the rest of his life with, in this one and the next. 

Forever and always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking around for this monster of a fic and reading until the very end. This fic is honestly my baby so I'm extremely grateful that you've chosen to click on this story to read. I hope that you enjoyed it! If you did, please leave a kudo and/or comment! I would love to hear all your thoughts!
> 
> Once again, thank you for giving your precious time of day to reading this fic. It honestly means so much to me~ 
> 
> I love you.
> 
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**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/markeuhyuckie/status/1239041276454076417?s=20) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/markeuhyuckie)


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